Distress Signal
by Lord of Lies
Summary: Sequel to Running in Parallels. Loki has returned to Asgard and received his punishment: to be bound to Thor's will. He soon finds a powerful enemy in Asgard's very midst. Back on Midgard, Gemma faces challenges of her own. What happens when Loki finds out she is in grave danger; and he is the only one who can save her... possibly at his own sake Loki/OC M for violence and Language
1. Chapter 1

**AN: this is the sequel to my story "Running in Parallels". You might want to read that fic before this one, but you don't have to. This story picks up where RiP left off if you have any questions please PM me or leave it in the Reviews Section. **

**I hope this one will be just as good, (if not better) as RiP **

**This is my own plot since I have never read Thor or Loki comics and I (obviously) haven't seen Thor 2 yet. So this is my imagining of what happens after the end of Avengers. **

**Thank you for reading!**

Chapter 1

Punishment

**Loki**

All of Asgard was rippling with tension. In every home and on every corner, Aesir were stopping to hear the latest gossip; Prince Loki had returned. Crowds of men and women lined the streets, craning their necks and lifting their children atop their shoulders to see the royal procession.

Thor led a cuffed and gagged Loki to the castle, where the Allfather awaited, looking menacing with a stony faced Frigga by his side. Thor and his brother were escorted by warriors armed with an assortment of dangerous weapons; pointed threateningly at Loki's chest, should he try to make a move.

Thor's face was lacking in the usual beaming smile and his eyes were sad. All the same, he did appear to be in good health. The same could not be said of his brother. Loki's emerald eyes gleamed with malice over the steel mask that served the purpose of yielding his Silvertongue. His pale face was blossoming with purple bruises and his body was beaten and battered. All the same, the young prince did not give in to any signs of weakness. His face was an emotionless mask and his upright stride was proud and demanding.

Even when he came into earshot of the horrible things his citizens muttered about him, he did not waver. Instead, his smoldering eyes stared forward, boring into the face of the Allfather.

At last, the procession came to a halt at the marble steps to the palace doors. Thor and the rest of the warriors dropped on one knee in a respectful bow before Odin. Only Loki remained defiantly upright, refusing to acknowledge the man who had for so long pretended to be his father.

"Brother," Thor whispered, pleadingly as he tugged the hem of Loki's tunic, attempting to drag him down. The Aesir watched the scene before them with bated breath. Never before had anyone dared to defy the Allfather in such an outright manner.

Slowly, Odin nodded in approval to the bowing warriors and his gallant son. They got to their feet.

"Allfather, we present you with the traitor, Prince Loki." One of the warriors said, speaking clearly with proud, ringing tone. At those words, the warriors humbly bowed once more before stepping back and retreating into the crowd.

No one had noticed the look of pain that flickered across Thor's face when he'd heard the word 'traitor', or if they had, no one called any attention to the fact.

"Bring him in, my son." Odin ordered Thor.

"As you wish, Allfather." Thor replied, stepping forward with Loki at his side.

Slaves opened the heavy marble doors to the palace. Odin and Frigga entered first, followed by a range of attendants, advisors and judges. Last of all came Thor and Loki. The doors closed behind them, signaling to the Aesir that the show was over.

O o o

Once out of sight of the masses, Loki's countenance of strength dissipated, if only for a brief moment. The change did not go unnoticed by Thor, the ever-watchful guardian. He laid a large, calloused hand over his brother's slumping shoulders in a comforting pat. Loki tensed at the touch and quickly he resumed the cold, heartless aura. Thor sighed sorrowfully, withdrawing his hand.

Loki discreetly took in his surroundings. The gold tiled halls, arching doorways and marble walls brought with them a rush of nostalgia that not even the God of Lies could shake off.

He remembered the days he'd spent inside the palace walls as a young boy, playing games with his older brother as they raced through the halls with their friends. He remembered what a comfort the vast library had offered to him, when he'd grown older and his brother had forsaken him for warrior training. Back then; the only friends Loki had known were the immense volumes of dusty books. Those same books had taught him many wonderful things: magic and tricks and stories of epic battles from ages ago. Now, under entirely different circumstances, Loki longed to loose himself once more in the comfort of those books.

He was snapped into the present by Odin's voice; ringing sharp and clear through the Justice Hall, where they all stood. "Bring the offender forward," he was saying.

Thor gripped Loki's shoulders tightly as he gently urged him to the center of the room, were a straight-backed wooden chair waited for him. Loki shook his brother off and proceeded to the chair by his own accord.

As soon as he sat, enchanted chains snaked around his body like writhing snakes; holding him in place. Loki knew the exact spell to free himself, had he access to his power, but the cold metal cuffs around his slim wrists had efficiently cut him off from the source. He scowled instead around the room, taking in the faces of those who'd come to watch his trial.

His gaze lingered on the faces he knew best; Thor, Frigga, Odin; the people who'd he once believed to be his family.

"I invite you all to take a seat," Odin said, gesturing to the rows of comfortable chairs that were spread out in front of Loki, so he'd be forced to look at them, and they at him.

Odin himself strode silently to the podium that Loki could not see, but knew it was to his back.

"We shall begin," Odin said. He cleared his throat. "Today we have gathered to discuss the fate of my son, Prince Loki the traitor."

At the words, 'my son' Loki's face grew red with suppressed rage. Had he been able to speak, he would have interrupted the Allfather right then and there. He had to content himself with imagining the most painful ways he would make the man suffer.

"Charged with breaching the barriers of our alliance with the Jotuns, murder and attempted murder, disloyalty to family and to Asgard and the attempted take-over of Midgard," Odin began. "he has been brought in for the trial determining his proper punishment. Have you any suggestions, I invite you to speak now."

The silence in the room was deafening. At last, one of the royal advisors, a gaunt, severe man by the name of Salntur got to his feet.

"My lord," he bowed. "It only seems fitting that the weight of Prince Loki's crimes are used against him. If I may be so bold; he deserves none other than the same. I propose a public execution by means of drawing and quartering,," Salntur bowed once again before resuming his seat.

At his words, there was an audible gasp. Loki saw the look of shock on Thor and Frigga's faces. Others in the room seemed equally as appalled. Some were nodding their heads in agreement. What Loki would have done to see Odin's reaction!

Thor cleared his throat and got to his feet. "Father," he dipped his head in a respectful manner. "I repeal that," his voice was calm but forceful. Loki took note of a pulsing vein on his forehead.

He was disgusted by the emotion that shone in his 'brother's' eyes. When would the guy learn that Loki cared not for him? He tried so hard to earn what was not there, much to Loki's distaste.

Those present stirred with tension as the watched Thor speak. "I propose that my brother be given a chance to prove himself."

"Most humbly," Salntur had risen to his feet once more. "It is my belief that the prince has already proven himself. As a traitor."

"MY BROTHER IS NO TRAITOR!" Thor boomed, his biceps tensed. He looked absolutely formidable.

"SILENCE!" roared Odin, pounding his fist on the podium. Thor obeyed, but the fire in his eyes had not died out. "You will remember that this is an official hearing, all present are respectful men and women, and you shall conduct yourself as such," Odin commanded. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Allfather." Thor mumbled, glowering at Salntur.

"Very well. Salntur, you may take your seat," Odin said. The man obliged hastily. "Now, Thor. How do you propose we to carry out your idea?"

Thor tipped his head politely, trying to regain control of his emotions.

"I suggest that Prince Loki remain at my side," Thor intoned.

Loki rolled his eyes. "_I'd rather choose Salntur's punishment,"_ he thought, with an internal groan.

"Excuse me, sir," Salntur spoke up. Odin nodded his approval for the man to speak. He got to his feet. "Who's to say that the prince will not attempt the same?"

This time it was Frigga who spoke up. Everyone looked to her in surprise. The queen was not much one for participating in such matters. When she spoke, her voice was steady but pained.

"We shall strip my son of his powers and bind him to the will of his brother. I will not have my youngest _killed_ before all of Asgard."

Towards the end of her words, Frigga's voice had risen several octaves, wavering with suppressed tears.

Thor put a comforting hand to his mother's back as he helped her sit down.

"My lord, what about the Silvertongue?" Salntur persisted, grappling at his last straws.

"My brother cannot manipulate a flea when he is gagged," Thor said, gesturing to the metal device that held Loki's mouth closed.

Several of the Aesir twittered in agreement. Salntur and his followers scowled; it was clear that many in the room wished to see Loki's body be publicly mutilated. Loki thought he'd like to see _their _poor souls moaning in Hel for all eternity.

Odin cleared his throat.

"We seem to be in favor of either one of these two options. If any other has a third suggestion, I invite you to come forth and speak now," Odin surveyed the room. No one moved. "Very well. We shall take a vote."

Thor caught Loki's eye. 'It will be okay,' he mouthed. Loki scowled and looked away. He didn't care much for either punishment. In fact, he found the whole ordeal to be beneath him entirely.

"All in favor or Salntur's punishment," Odin boomed.

Loki didn't look to see who voted for his death. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The darkness behind his eyelids provided the perfect chance for Loki to think about the only thing he actually cared about: a pretty young mortal girl. Gemma (who preferred the name 'Gem').

He thought back to the last time he'd seen her. It felt like such a long time ago, though in reality it was really only the day before yesterday. She'd come to him where he lay in his prison cell, cuffed with the magic limitations and beaten into submission.

The anger and pain in her voice physically hurt him. When he closed his eyes, he could still see the shock of his betrayal etched on her face. But then, Gemma seemed to have forgotten everything. The memory brought a smile to his lips, remembering when they had been covered with her own.

His relationship with Gemma was a complicated one. She was a soldier of SHEILD, a telepathic Mind Waif and his unwilling ally. He had tricked her into leaving SHEILD to help him fight war and bring peace to the world. He had hurt her deeply in ways he could not begin to understand. But for some reason, she'd grown on him until she was almost a part of him, someone he couldn't shake off. And the truth was, he didn't want to. One thing that Loki knew was that he would be forever in Gemma's debt because he owed her eternal gratitude for showing him another way of life… And he also really wanted to hold her in his arms once more…

"So it is," Odin boomed, jolting Loki into awareness. His sentence had been placed but he'd been too busy thinking of a girl he'd never see again to even hear what his sentence was.

His eyes flickered to Thor. The God of Thunder was beaming like a thousand sons. "_So I shall be forced to live by the great brute's side," _Loki mused, frowning beneath his gag.

O o o

_As punishment for his crimes, Prince Loki shall be stripped of his powers and be bound to the will of Prince Thor. He will learn to change his ways or else be publicly executed by means of drawing and quartering. _


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: oh my gods you guys are incredible! Waking up to all those emails was so awesome, I wasn't expecting so many of you to read this! Thanks! And thanks you the people who've messaged and reviewed/ commented :)It means a lot!**

**So here's chapter two. I decided to post it today because I'm leaving tomorrow and after that updates will start getting slower. I promise to update as quickly as possible though!**

* * *

Chapter 2

Reclaimed

**Gemma**

Gemma was back aboard the Helicarrier a couple days after Loki and Thor returned to Asgard. The battle was over, citizens were calming down and New York City was being repaired. Gemma herself had attained heavy injuries during that day (not to mention the days that'd preluded the actual battle) and she was slowly but steadily recovering under Dr. Banner's care.

Gemma was still uncertain of how she felt about Bruce Banner. She knew that she was scared of him. She also knew that it was wrong, because Bruce was a good man and a brilliant doctor. But she knew what he was capable of becoming, and it terrified her.

Gemma's thoughts were interrupted when her friend, Clint Barton knocked on her door. She picked up her crutches and limped across the room to let him in.

"Hey." She mumbled, as the door swung open. He nodded at her but didn't say anything.

Things had been tense between the two of them for the past couple of days. In fact, this was the first time he'd come to visit her since Thor took his deranged brother back to Asgard. The thing was, Barton happened to be the only one who knew how she felt about a particular Norse god of lies.

Gemma felt her face heat up as she remembered the last time she'd seen Loki. She'd been mad at him, furious. She thought she hated him. But all it took was one pained look from him before she knew she was wrong, sure, she hated what he'd _done_ but she could never hate _him_. That's when she'd kissed him. And _that's _when Barton happened to walk into the room.

Gemma knew Barton had suspected her feelings for Loki beforehand (he _had _been the one who allowed her a visit with the god.) but she also knew that Barton hated Loki more than anyone else. It was a wonder he didn't hate her as well. He had a right to; she'd betrayed him. Even if he didn't know it. She had Loki to thank for that.

Clint cleared his throat, bringing Gemma back to the present.

"What's up?" Gemma asked. "Do you want to come in?"

"Yeah. I probably should." He said, stepping into her room.

It was a small room, with one large window and a twin sized bed. There was a small bathroom as well as a dresser. With the two of them in it, the room felt even smaller and more cramped than usual.

Clint sat on the edge of her bed. He patted the cushion beside him, inviting Gemma to take a seat. She obliged.

"Gem, I know I shouldn't have been acting so… terse about what happened," he started.

"No. It's okay, Clint. Really. It was my fault and you had the right to be upset. I know what Loki did to you." Gemma interrupted him.

"Let me finish!" he said, grinning. Gemma shrugged.

"I knew something was up between the two of you. I didn't like it, but it just reminded me so much of me and Natasha."

He said, staring at the wall. Gemma nodded.

"The first thing Loki asked once we'd imprisoned him was if you were okay. He pleaded us not to punish you because it was all his fault. He told us all about how he snuck into your room one night and kidnapped you... I guess that shows the guy had _some_ heart. But he's a killer, Gem. He did horrible things to me. And to everyone else. I guess, in the end, when I saw you with him… it was too much for me."

They were both remembering how Clint had yanked her away from Loki, red in the face and fuming with anger. He pulled her out of the prison cell and drug her away, too angry to even say a word.

"I know." Gemma mumbled.

"So lets put all of this behind us? I miss having a best friend." Clint was grinning now, his solid grey/blue eyes lit up.

"I was hoping you'd say that!"

* * *

The rest of the day was spent above deck, shooting arrows into makeshift targets. After a few hours, Agent Romanoff joined them. It made Gemma happy to see Clint happy, especially when he was around the woman he loved.

It was around noon when Tony Stark interrupted them. Clint caught Gemma's eye, he knew that she couldn't stand the guy.

Tony sauntered over with a glass of Bourbon in one hand and a bottle of vodka in the other.

"Gem-mm-ah" he slurred, purposely drawing out her name because he knew she hated being called 'Gemma'

She scowled at him.

"What do you want, Stark?" She replied.

"Hmm… three blondes and a redhead," he joked.

"Very funny," scoffed Romanoff, rolling her eyes. She put a hand on her hip.

"Okay, okay. You don't have sense of humor, I get it!" Tony said, turning to Gemma again.

"Fury wants to talk to you. You better follow me, but make it quick; I have _stuff_ to do," he explained, turning and starting off without waiting to see if she was following.

Gemma raised an eyebrow at Clint before turning and following Tony. She _tried _to keep up with him but her crutches slowed her down and whenever she overexerted herself, the blood started clotting along the jagged row of stiches under her left ear.

Tony waited for her at the end of each hall with an impatient look on his face. Gemma knew she shouldn't dislike the guy; he was a good man, a hero. He'd saved her life at least one time and he'd even been ready to sacrifice his own life to save the earth from Loki's army. But, all that aside, Tony had never been all that nice to her. She'd known him since he'd started selling his equipment to SHEILD several years ago, and he _still _refused to call her by 'Gem'. Plus, he'd been the man who'd designed her worst enemy.

The MFB, or Mobile Functioning Barrier, was a uncomfortable collar-like cuff that was designed to cut Gemma off of her abilities- mind reading and mind control. She recently learned from Loki that the proper term for someone like her was _Mind Waif_. But she could do none of that when the MFB was around her neck, (which was often because Gemma was the type of girl who was always getting into trouble for one reason or another). The thing was, wearing the cuff was like being slowly suffocated whilst having the skin of one's neck chaffed off.

"Hey, what's big, hard, and-" Tony began when she caught up with him.

"Come on! I've heard that one before!" Gemma cut him off, but she was smiling.

Tony grinned back and shrugged. "I can assure you, I have plenty more jokes where that came from!" he insisted. "Hey, i bet you've never heard this riddle before! What's frozen in ice but hotter than the sun?" he asked, grinning mischievously.

"Your boyfriend." Gemma shot, flashing her teeth.

Stark frowned. "What? I don't have a boyf-" he trailed off, looking perplexed.

Gemma laughed and jerked her thumb in the direction of Steve Rogers, who was walking down the same corridor just a few feet ahead. Tony sputtered and his face turned very pink. Gemma smirked at him and kept walking.

When they arrived in the HQ the first thing Gemma noticed was Fury standing on his own, looking mildly distressed. He was talking on the mobile. When he caught sight of Stark and Gemma entering the room he put on a smile but it looked forced. Gemma felt a lump in her throat.

"See ya around _Gem,_" Tony said with a wink. "Like I said before, I have _things _to do."

Gemma's annoyance for the man subsided slightly when he called her by her chosen nickname.

"Wear a parka... Or maybe sunglasses, actually be safe and wear both!" she joked as he turned and left.

Gemma limped over to Fury's side, questioning him with her eyes.

"Yes, yes. I understand. Of course. I think it ought to be up to her to decide… We'll work around it. Okay… She's here. Yes right now." Fury sounded agitated.

Gemma tried to piece together the conversation he was having, but it was muddled up, what with her only hearing his end. Still, she had a vauge suspicion he was talking about her.

"Thank you, Mark. Would you like to speak to her now?" Fury was saying.

The lump in Gemma's throat grew.

_Mark? It couldn't be him…_

Fury held the phone out to her, the same forced smile plastered on his face. Swallowing, Gemma took the phone from him.

"It's okay, Gem." Fury said, patting her around the shoulders. She nodded, biting her lip before raising the phone to her head.

"Hello?" she squeaked.

"Gemma! It's me. Mark. Your daddy," the man on the other end was breathless with a mix of excitement and nerves.

For a long time Gemma didn't know what to say. She looked up at Fury and he noticed her eyes were tearing up. He silently urged her to speak.

"Why now?" were the only words she was able to say.

She hadn't heard from her parents since she was six years old. That's when they'd decided raising a telepathic daughter was too much for them. So they'd brought her to SHEILD's base in New Mexico, leaving behind their comfy home in Oregon. Her very own parents signed her guardianship over to Fury and the other members of SHEILD. Gemma remembered her parents promising her that they would call every night and visit all the time. They'd promised birthday parties and thanksgiving dinners. But none of that happened. Not once.

Gemma could hear her father sighing on the other end.

"Baby, we miss yo-"

Gemma cut him off. "I'm nineteen years old, no longer a baby. Cut the bullshit, okay?" she snarled.

Fury shook his head wildly, but Gemma ignored him.

"Why are you calling? Why now?" she demanded, pulling away from Fury and stalking to her own private corner.

By then nearly all eyes were on her. She ignored the pointed stares and whispers and continued to chew Mark Shepherd out over the phone.

"I don't even want you to fucking TALK to me, okay! Get the fuck out of my life! You're good at that, aren't you? 'Cus it was so fucking easy the first time!" she screamed.

She would have hung up right then and there had she not heard _laughter _from the other end.

"Dammit! Are you laughing at me? What the FUCK is your god damned problem?"

"I'm sorry, bab- Gemma, it's just that you've got _my_ mouth." Mark said, still laughing.

"What?" she snarled.

"Your mom says I curse too much," he explained.

"Where is she?" Gemma suddenly asked. "Is she with you?"

There was a lengthy silence. Finally, "Ah, no. She doesn't know I'm calling," he admitted.

"She doesn't want anything to do with me, does she? She's still scared of me, isn't she?" Gemma demanded.

Mark sound agitated. "No, that not it sweetie… it's just…" he trailed off.

"Don't you fucking lie to me. I've had enough of your bullshit and I've had enough god damned lies to last a fucking lifetime!"

There was a silence on the other end that could only mean Mark's admittance. After a while, Gemma spoke again.

"Why did you call?" her voice was level now; under control. Fury and the others looked relieved that she wasn't yelling out curses anymore.

"Because I miss you and I want you to come home. Fury and I were thinking you should at least come for a visit," Mark explained. Gemma shot Fury a look that could slice bread. He looked sheepish.

"And what will you tell her- Carry-?" Gemma questioned.

"If you decided that, ah, if that's what you want, I can persuade her," he mumbled. "I have something to tell you, Gemma. I really hope you'll come. At least for lunch?"

"What could you possibly want to tell me that I'd ever care about?" She replied. But despite her snarky demeanor, Gemma was running the idea through her head, and it didn't seem half bad.

"It's a little bit of a secret. I didn't tell Fury… and I don't think I should..." Mark sounded nervous.

"Why not?" Gemma asked, perturbed.

Mark sighed. "You know that man… the one who's been all over the news?" he asked.

Gemma felt her heart speed up. "From SHEILD?" She asked. There had been an awful lot of people on the news of late, but there was only one she cared about.

"No. The other one. They guy with the… big golden horns."

Gemma felt her heart leap.

"Yeah. I know who that is! Why do you need to talk to me about him?" she asked, enthralled.

"If you want to know, you're going to have to come pay your old man a visit. Please, Gemma. Think about it."

His voice was teasing but she could sense the note of urgency behind it.

Gemma _had _to know what her father had to say about Loki. There was no question about it.

"I'll go."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Prisoner

**Loki**

"Our mother wishes to visit with you, Brother," Thor informed Loki one afternoon.

A few days had past since they'd returned to Asgard. Loki, as he was sentenced, had spent every waking hour at Thor's side. He did not speak, for he was required to wear the mask at all times. Thor talked to him though, every once and a while.

Loki did not make any response to Thor's statement. He stared blankly ahead without making any sign that he'd even heard. Thor sighed.

"Come, Brother. Follow me," Thor instructed, leading the way to Frigga's private chambers where she awaited the arrival of her sons.

Loki followed but only because he had to. That was part of his punishment; being bound to Thor's will. The older brother could have asked him to jump off a cliff and Loki would have done so. It reminded Loki of the blind loyalty he once had for his brother, and that that his brother held for Odin.

Thor knocked on the door to his mother's room.

"Is that you, Thor?" she called from inside.

"Yes, mother. I have brought Loki, as you requested," Thor replied, pushing the door open as he did so.

The two walked into the elaborate gold and white room. Frigga's private chambers were almost as large as the feast hall, able to fit all the inhabitants of the palace plus many guests. But it was only the queen who resided inside.

She sat on a plush chair in front of a vanity mirror, combing her golden waves of hair. When she saw her sons enter, the queen got to her feet and rushed to their side.

"Oh, Loki!" she sobbed, wrapping her arms around his frail shoulders.

Loki did not know how to react. He'd expected only more punishment from the Queen of Asgard. He'd expected her to hate him, as Odin did. He did not expect her to hug him and cry into his chest.

He stood, rigid, frowning beneath his mask. All of Loki's instincts ordered him to embrace his mother, but the rational part of his mind argued with that. '_She isn't your mother. The woman is a liar!' _

Besides, a thin golden chain that connected the magical inhibitor cuffs that he wore round his wrists held Loki's arms together. The chain may have been thin but it was unbreakable. Loki had tried.

At last, Frigga collected herself. She blotted her eyes with a dainty white linen and pulled herself from her son's torso.

"Oh, Loki…" she murmured, looking up at him with watery blue eyes. "How I wish that you could speak!"

Thor cleared his throat. "Have you not the key to his mask, mother?" he asked, keeping his voice low as if discussing a dark secret.

Sorrowfully, the queen shook her head. "Odin has the only one. Oftentimes I have begged him for it, but he always denies me the chance to talk to my own son," Frigga explained. Once more, she burst into messy tears, causing her makeup to run down her face.

Thor gently took the handkerchief from his mother and used it to dab away the tears. He kissed her forehead.

"Mother, I have work to be done. Might my brother stay with you, for the time being?" he asked.

"If that is allowed, I would very much like it," the queen replied.

"I have the power to decide what is and is not allowed," Thor said, smiling. "Loki, stay here with Frigga," he kindly ordered.

"Where are you going?" Frigga asked him as he reached the door.

"I promised to speak with the Lady Sif. I would have brought my brother with me, but the lady wishes not to be in his presence," Thor explained, shooting Loki a sheepish look.

"Very well," Frigga replied, smiling fondly upon her eldest son.

When the door shut behind Thor, Frigga turned to Loki.

"Sit down, my son," she gestured to a plush chair in velvet upholstery.

Loki consented, though he scowled at her over the top of the metal device that constricted the bottom half of his face.

'_The woman is a fool. How dare she still call me her son?' _he silently fumed.

Loki had long since accepted the fact that Thor would continue to say the word "brother" when referring to him. It did not please him but there was nothing he could do about it. It wasn't like he could argue with Thor, seeing as he couldn't speak.

Frigga was teary eyed again.

"My poor Loki! I thought you were dead!" she sobbed, clutching his arm.

He refused to look her in the eye. '_I wish I had died," _he thought.

"I know what this feels like, Loki," she said, her face suddenly sullen and serious.

Loki could not express his doubt in any better way than by arching one thin black eyebrow.

"You are angry because we hid from you the truth of your birth for so long," she said.

'_They _lied _to me my entire life! I was never more than a stolen relic! I was a monster they brought home to use as a legion!' _

"And you think that because you are not our child by birth, that we cannot love you as such," Frigga continued.

'_Ah, but it's true! Who could love someone like me? A monster! I am the thing you have feared your entire life!' _

"But, my son, you are _wrong." T_he queen leaned forward, peering into Loki's green eyes with her blue ones. "We are your family because we raised you. And we _love _you!"

'_Love is what Thor has been showered in all his life. Love is power. Love is a kingdom! No one loves me!' _Loki was screaming inside his head. '_…Except possibly Gem. She could have loved me. But even then, I never deserved her love. I betrayed her and used her,'_ he thought, morosely,

There had been a time when Loki had thought he would be able to relieve the burden of his betrayal by avenging Gemma's past. But that had not been his place. He wasn't an avenger, he was a killer, and the mortal girl deserved someone who she could rely one 100% of the time. Still, _'If I could return to Midgard would she kiss me like she once did? Would I be able to redeem myself in her eyes?'_

"You are not the monster you think you are," Frigga said, speaking soulfully and bringing Loki back to the present.

Loki didn't bother to suppress the shudder of rage that shook his body. His eyes snapped to the queen's squelching her speech when they turned blood red. He felt his skin tingle and without looking, he could tell that he'd transformed into his true form, a Jotun.

Frigga's face paled but the light did not go out of her eyes.

"I am your mother, Loki. You will always be beautiful in my eyes!" her voice was forceful and strong, throwing Loki off guard. "To me it matters not what you look like, for I know that inside is _my_ son and the ice has not yet frozen your heart, though it may run in thine veins!"

Loki slumped back in his seat, the blue draining from his skin; melting like ice. It was too hard to hold his true form; the cuffs around his wrists must have recognized his heritage as a threat, for they were now working on sealing him inside his Aesir shell. He closed his eyes and one single tear dripped from his dark lashes. It left a trail of frost in its path as it ran down his cheek.

Frigga used the hem of her dress to wipe it away.

"I love you, my beautiful, intelligent _worthy _son."

* * *

**AN: this is just a short chapter that I pulled out before I leave tomorrow. Thanks for reading! And thanks for the reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Meeting

**Gemma**

Gemma stepped off the Helicarrier at precisely 2 o'clock on the day she'd arranged to meet with her family.

"You sure you don't need anything?" Fury asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"No, I'm all good. It's not like I'm going to _stay," _she replied, smiling lightly as she stepped into the black SUV that was waiting for them.

Fury got into the passenger's seat. "Lemon Street Café," he instructed the driver.

Fury turned his head and gave Gemma a pained smile. "You can stay with them… if you want to," he said.

"I don't." Gemma stated flatly. She stuffed her hands inside her hoodie. Her fingers brushed the crumpled paper that was folded up in there. Loki's letter to her.

Gemma had kept the letter with her ever since Thor gave it to her. She didn't understand it but it comforted her all the same.

The car started off down the street, taking Gemma home. She lay back against the leather interior and closed her eyes, breathing deep.

'_I just need to find out what Mark has to say about Loki. Then I'll get outta there,' _she promised herself.

* * *

When the car stopped half an hour later Fury had to shake Gemma awake; she'd fallen asleep not five minutes into the drive.

"Gem, come on, kid. We're here," he said as she blinked the sleep from her eyes.

"Umph?" Gemma replied groggily.

She stepped out of the car, pulling her hood up over her head. The air was chilly and bit into her skin like ice.

"I'm just going to walk in with you. I want to talk to Mar- your father, before I let you go," Fury explained, walking with Gemma to the predetermined place of meeting; Lemon Street Café.

A stocky guy with graying hair waited just inside the doors, firing off a text message on his Blackberry. He looked up when Gemma and Fury walked in, bringing with them a blast of cold air. His hazel eyes were quizzical underneath thick wire-rimmed took in the sight of the pair; a young woman with shoulder-length wavy brown hair and hazel eyes; and an even taller man wearing a black floor-length trench coat and a patch over the scars on his right eye.

Mark's face broke into a nervous smile as he stepped forward to introduce himself.

"My name is Mark Shepherd," he said, gripping the young woman's hand. "You must be Gemma…" he voice trailed off as he stared at her. "You've got my eyes… and hell, you've grown!" he said at last, releasing his grip on her hand.

She drew a sharp breath. "Yeah," she said. "But it's _Gem." _She corrected, staring at him coldly.

Mark nodded and gulped. Gemma noticed a sheen of sweat on his forehead. She smirked. _Looks like my old man is nervous._

"Fury," Fury cut in, shaking Mark's hand. "Nice to see you again, Mark," he said, politely.

"Same to you, same to you," Mark said, looking uncertain. Gemma figured he wasn't the least bit glad to see Fury again. (And he had reason; Fury was a formidable guy, before you got to know him.)

"I'll be back to get her in an hour and a half, yeah?" Fury asked, glancing down at his watch.

"Yeah, sounds good," Mark replied, holding the door open for the man.

Fury exchanged a look with Gemma before leaving. '_If you need me, you know what to do,_' he was thinking. Gemma could hear the words as if he spoke them out-loud. It was part of her gift.

'_Yeah okay, thanks. See ya soon,' _she replied.

Mark stood, waiting for Gemma. He was unaware of the silent exchange that had just taken place between Gemma and Fury.

"So, should we find our seats?" Mark invited.

"Sure."

The pair found a small table next to the window where they had a nice view of the green trees that surrounded them. The café was warm and toasty inside. Gemma took off her hoodie and hung it on the back of her chair.

Mark cleared his throat, looking extremely anxious. Gemma couldn't blame him; she was pretty uncomfortable herself.

'_Why did I even come? My family left me. They don't deserve to get me back!' _she thought.

They only thing that kept Gemma seated across from the man who had once been her father, was curiosity. He knew something about Loki, something he didn't tell even Fury. Whatever it was, Gemma hoped it was worth the discomfort.

"Good afternoon, dears,"greeted a plump woman wearing an apron came to take their orders. "What will you be having?"

"I'll take a slice of raspberry cheesecake and some hot chocolate," Gemma ordered the first items she'd seen on the menu.

"Cup of French Roast, black," said Mark.

When the waitress left, Mark folded his arms across the surface of the table and watched his daughter.

"Gem…" he murmured, trying out the name.

Gemma cocked an eyebrow. "Mark."

He cleared his throat again and rubbed a broad hand down the back of his neck.

"Where is Carry? I thought she'd be here," Gemma inquired.

"Ah, yeah, you see," Mark began. "Your mother doesn't know that I am meeting with you,"

"She would disapprove, yeah?" Gemma asked. "Still scared of me?"

Mark looked extremely uncomfortable. "I suppose," he said, at last. "But she's coming. She is going to pick Jessie up from school and meet us here in about half an hour,"

Gemma felt her muscles tighten. "Jessie?" She repeated, coolly.

Mark's ears went bright red. "Your brother," he muttered, staring at his feet.

At that moment, the waitress returned with their orders.

"I hope this is satisfactory!" she beamed. "I must say, that cheesecake, mmm!"

"Thank you," Gemma muttered, shooting daggers at her father with her eyes.

The waitress bustled away, humming to herself.

"I have a brother? You mean, you replaced me? How soon after you _sold_ me?" Gemma asked, fighting to keep her voice under control. "God dammit! Why couldn't you have told me before?"

_I was wrong. I shouldn't be here. I ought to ask Fury to get me…_she thought, fuming.

"Gem, listen to me. We loved you _so much_! It was unbearable, being separated from you!" Mark's eyes were watering in earnest. "Jessie isn't a replacement, I promise! Just give him a chance, you're going to love him!"

"Then why did you do it? You never called, not once. You might as well have been dead!" Gemma's voice broke into a shrill pitch. All around heads were turning to stare. "I shouldn't have come here, it was a mistake. I don't want to meet Jessie anyway!"

Mark clenched his mug of coffee so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He looked like he was trying very hard not to scream at Gemma.

"Is he normal?" she asked after the moment it took for her to cool down.

Mark closed his eyes and nodded slowly, not daring to watch her reaction.

Gemma drew in a sharp intake of breath and contemplated getting to her feet and storming out. Why did Jessie deserve a normal life when she was outcast as a _freak? _

"Gem, look, we're _sorry!" _

Mark pleaded for his daughter to understand but she was done with everything.

"I don't want your apologies. All I want is to get what I came for. Tell me about Loki," Gemma demanded, forcing Mark to her will with a simple mind trick.

"Yes, okay," he mumbled, the emotion was gone from his eyes, replaced by Gemma's mind control power. "The day before… before the battle in Manhattan, the one that was all over the news… the _night _before, we had a visitor," Mark said in a dead monotone.

Gemma felt her heart quicken. _'That would have been the night we saw the stars… It makes sense; I told Loki about my parents that night!' _

"…It was _him. _The man with the golden horns. The guy who tried to kill us and rule us. He came to our home in the dead of the night and he forced us to kneel before him," Mark continued.

"_Why?" _Gemma asked, at a loss.

"He never told us why. But he talked about you, Gem. He was angry that we abandoned you and had another child."

"What else?" she demanded.

Mark gulped. "He was going to kill us… But then… Then he left. That is all."

Gemma stared Mark in the face, silently judging him. She caught a flicker of fear pass through his eyes. Furiously, she took a tighter hold on his mind, taking utter control.

"No, it's not. What are you hiding from me? What is it that you couldn't tell Fury?" Gemma spoke through bared teeth.

Mark closed his eyes when he spoke. "He told me that I had to try and repent. To make things right with you," he answered. "I didn't tell Fury because it's too damn personal, Gem! This isn't the kind of thing you go spreading!"

Gemma felt her throat tighten. "You're saying that the only reason I am here is because _Loki told you to do this?" _she said coolly.

Mark shook his head. "No, no, no! Not in the slightest! Honey, I just wanted to see you!" he insisted.

"Whatever." she said, letting go her hold on his mind.

The light came back into his eyes, and with it was raw terror. The guy was actually _quivering _in fright!

"To be totally honest, Gem, that wasn't _fair," _he complained. "You shouldn't have used _it _against me! Fury told me you'd improved."

"Did he? 'Cus when it comes to mega douches, like you, I get my way," she hissed.

"_Fury, this isn't working out. Come get me… Please!" _Gemma silently called to the Director.

"_You sure?" _

"_Positive. This guy… He is…. He's a dick," _she explained, glowering at Mark across the table.

"Fury is coming to get me," she deadpanned.

"Oh, Gem! Really, give me another chance! Please!" he begged, getting to his feet.

"I don't think so. You blew your first chance thirteen years ago."

* * *

Seven minutes and forty two seconds later, when the black SUV pulled up in front of Lemon Street Café, Gemma was waiting outside in the downpour of rain.

She wrenched open the door, scowling as she scooted into the warm interior, soaking the seats with the rainwater on her hoodie.

"Gem, what's wrong? What happened?" Fury asked, looking concerned.

"It doesn't matter. Can we just go?" she huffed, rubbing her eyes.

Fury nodded silently and the driver pulled into the street, leaving Mark Shepherd behind. Fury looked back at Gemma. He could tell she was on the verge of tears; her eyes were shiny and rimmed with red and her breathing was ragged and shallow. But he knew her well enough to understand that she wanted to be left alone, so he didn't say anything.

Gemma sat in silence, staring out the windows and watching fat water drops snake over the frosty glass. The closer she got to the Helicarrier, the more rotten she felt. She'd placed so much hope into this meeting; even though she'd been too scared to admit it to herself at the time. And her father never actually cared about her. He was _scared _into it by none other than Loki himself.

Gemma's fingers closed around the letter in her pocket, holding onto the last bit of Loki on earth. The brittle paper was all she needed to keep her head above the surface of the lake of bitter emotions that she was drowning in.

'_Loki, everything is so fucked up,'_ she thought, vainly trying to contact him with her mind.

She knew it was no use; she'd tried many times since Loki returned to Asgard to talk to him. Apparently her powers didn't reach across the great voids of space and time. What she would have given to overcome that distance!

Gemma thought of the Norse God of Lies. Loki had manipulated her and used her. All the same, she still saw his brilliant green eyes whenever she closed her own. Back when he was on earth she hadn't known what to think of him; she'd hated and longed for him at the same time. Now that he was gone she missed him more than she would have ever believed.

'_Loki, I wish you were still here. I can't stop thinking of you. Wherever you are, I hope you're thinking of me too…' _she thought, laying her head against the glass with a sigh as she closed her eyes. '_Come back to me, you son of a bitch." _


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Broken Bones

**Loki **

'_Come back to me, you son of a bitch,' _Gemma whispered, her lips warm against Loki's ear.

He turned over in bed to see her, leaning over him. Her deep brown hair hung in waves around her soft face, her hazel eyes shone in the dark, calling to him.

"Gem?" he asked, groggily. "I understand this not, how is it that you-"

Gemma's lips cut off his question. He gave in to her kiss, wrapping his fingers in her hair and pulling her down on the bed so that her warm body covered his cold one.

* * *

Loki was awoken from his dream with a start. Thor stood over him, grinning like a fool. Sunlight shone trough the drapes and already, the sounds of the city filled Loki's ears.

He rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed.

"Good marrow, Brother!" greeted Thor, still beaming.

"What are you smiling at, fool?" Loki hissed.

Thor's smile grew all the wider. He gave Loki an expectant look.

"Incredulous-"

Loki stopped mid-insult, his mouth dropping open. He stretched his mouth, feeling a satisfying pop as his jaw snapped into place. _He could talk. _

"Thor… where is my muzzle?" he asked, speaking slowly.

Thor laughed, sitting down on the edge of Loki's bed. He pulled the metal contraption from the inside of his robes and dangled it carelessly in front of Loki.

"Father is out on a diplomacy mission for the day. I thought you'd like a bit of freedom!" he explained.

"You mean to say that you have _stolen _the key?" Loki was bewildered.

Thor laughed again. "I'd say I merely barrowed it without asking, Brother. I'll return it before nightfall, the Allfather never must know it was gone!"

"You are not scared I'll use my Silvertongue on you?" Loki asked, raising both eyebrows.

"If you do you will not be given the chance again, I'm afraid," Thor's voice had taken on a low, threatening tone.

Loki observed the blonde haired man for a moment before swinging his legs out of bed.

"You have my word," he muttered, barley able to suppress his own grin.

Loki had it in his mind to obey Thor; he did not wish to be trapped behind the thick metal casing any longer, if he could help it.

"Verily well, Brother. You have not had any to eat. Let us sup!" he cried, jumping to his feet.

"Do not call me 'Brother!'" Loki spat, glowering.

Thor's wide smile dimmed a bit but he said, "If that is what you wish, Loki."

Thor let himself out of Loki's chambers and waited out the door for the God of Lies to change into his day clothes. Loki wore the usual; green and black tunic with a warm leather overcoat.

The weather in Asgard, though usually warm, had taken a turn for the worse. As of late it rained all day and the oceans were too cold to play in. Everyone was worried.

Loki was silent as he ate, savoring the taste of food that he'd been deprived of for too long. Being a demi-god, he couldn't very well starve to death, but not eating was quite unpleasant.

* * *

"Come, Broth- Loki," Thor corrected himself when Loki glared at him. "Let us to the training grounds. I have promised Lady Sif to practice with her. She is to teach me the art of the bow!"

Loki smirked. "And how will the Lady Sif react to see the likes of me, free to speak?" Loki challenged.

Thor's eyes clouded and his face fell. Loki could see the slow, stupid gears of his mind churning behind the sky blue of his eyes.

"Ah…" Thor ran a large hand through his own flaxen hair, mussing it up. He smiled sheepishly.

"Broth- Loki, I wish for you to return to the Library. Do what you will, but know that you may not put your Silvertongue to use," Thor decided, at last. "And make no attempts to escape!" he added.

In response, Loki held up his cuffed hands, arching his eyebrows. "Even if I wished it, I could make no escape, Thor," he drawled.

"Even if you wished it?" Thor contemplated, "Are you saying that it pleases you to remain here, in Asgard?"

"Asgard is the safest place. I am in great danger elsewhere," he said idly.

"What from?" Thor asked, placing a large hand on Loki's shoulder.

Loki scoffed. "You shall know when it suits you to know it."

With that, Loki turned on his heel and marched out the palace doors towards the library. Thor watched him go, feeling uneasy. He knew the punishment would be great if anyone were to tell Odin that Loki walked free, even if only for a few hours.

* * *

Loki's pace quickened. He was hurrying through the city; the air was crisp and chilly against his skin. Golden light sifted like shadows on the gleaming building. He did not wish to admit it, but the beauty of the Ream Eternal was breathtaking. It was also deadly.

Fast moving footfalls of two burly Aesir fell in behind him. Loki spun around just in time to receive an iron-clad fist to his face. The attacker connected to Loki's jaw, causing the dark-haired god to fall to the ground. Spiked boots kicked into his sides, tearing through leather and bruising his freshly healed ribs.

Loki peered up at the attackers though the blood that was clouding his vision. Two warriors stood over him, armed and dangerous. Loki recognized them at once; these men had been in the Justice Hall the day he was sentenced. They were among those who thought Loki should have been executed.

'_It would appear these curs have decided to take matters into their own hands,' _Loki thought.

He was powerless to fight back; the handcuffs that restricted his powers saw to that. Loki knew his only chance was to manipulate the men with his Silvertongue. He silently thanked Thor for removing the muzzle that very morning.

"Get off me!" he growled, attempting to stand up.

One of the men laughed and shoved Loki back down, smacking the prince's head into the street. Loki felt the warrior kneel down, putting all his weight on Loki's chest.

"You're not in the state to give us orders, my lord," the man said, wickedly.

Loki opened his mouth once more, preparing the lie that would liberate him.

"Not so fast!" the other man cried, jamming his boot into Loki's mouth.

Loki spat blood from his mouth, wincing in pain as the red liquid ran from his split lip.

"Why are you doing this?" he meekly demanded.

The men laughed. "t'is our master's orders!" they explained.

The larger of the men; a thick headed bearded guy dashed Loki's head once more into the already blood drenched stones.

He faded into darkness at once.

* * *

**Gemma**

"I already told you. He. Was. An. Ass!" Gemma said with a sigh.

At her side, Clint Barton gave her a skeptical look but didn't say anything. It had been days since Gemma had met her father, and everyone had noticed the immense change that had overcome her since then. Clint had attempted to drag the cause out of her, but she refused to tell anyone, not even Fury.

"Gem," Barton started, talking her hand and lifting her to her feet. They were in her bedroom, missing dinner for the third time that week. "Lets go eat, okay? With everyone else."

"No thanks, I'd rather stay here," Gemma replied, tugging her arm free from his grip and crossing the room.

She stood before the small window, staring out that the clear blue sky, her face was impassive.

"I'm not talking 'no' for an answer, you see? We are going to eat with the rest of the team!" Barton was obviously peeved.

"Are you gonna make me?" Gemma challenged, swing around to glare at him. "I said no!"

"I have direct orders from Nick Fury to deliver you the team. We are all eating together tonight!" he thundered, loosing his patience. "If you deny then I've been asked to use force. I don't want to drag you, Gem."

Gemma closed her eyes and blew out a steady stream of air.

"Fine," she said, defeated.

* * *

Dinner that night was a salad and burgers. ("all American!", Steve joked, biting into the meat.) Gemma sat in stony silence, glaring at Fury.

"Gem," he said, speaking quietly so that no one else could hear. "I know that you are upset about whatever happened with your dad-"

"He isn't my dad," she intoned.

Fury looked startled. "Well, maybe not anymore…" he muttered.

"Yeah. Not anymore."

"Look. Gem. He's been calling me every day since you last saw him. The man just wants another chance to make things right,"

"Well I'm not interested!" Gemma barked, slamming her glass of soda down on the table.

Everyone looked up at her. "You going to throw a tantrum, kid?" Stark said with a smirk. Steve aimed a kick at Tony's shin but hit Banner instead. Banner jumped in surprise and spilled his beer with a yelp. Everyone tensed up and eyed him suspiciously, as if they were worried he'd "hulk out" right then and there.

"I'm alright!" Bruce deflected, his face burning with suppressed embarrassment and rage.

Fury cleared his throat and after a few uneasy glances at Banner, the rest of the team went back to their conversations and dug into the meal.

"The thing is, Gem," Fury continued. "He has the right to see you when he wishes. If we refuse, he could potentially land us in a whole lot of trouble," Fury explained, looking Gemma in the eyes.

Her face went pale. "What?" she asked ambivalently.

"We cannot deny a father the rights to see his child,"

"But he sold me to SHEILD! You're my guardian, aren't you? He has _no _rights! I am nineteen years old!" Gemma cried, once again drawing attention to herself.

Fury pushed back his chair and got to his feat, towering over her. "Let's take a walk, Gem," he ordered.

Barton caught her eye and gave her an encouraging nod. She nodded back at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

'_Everything I ever thought I knew is changing!' _she thought.

Gemma got to her feet and followed Fury out the door, painfully aware of all the eyes that were trained on her retreating back.

"I don't understand. Why does Mark have any control over me?" she asked Fury, once they were alone.

"Gem, you don't really think that our little swap was actually legal, do you?" Fury asked, putting a wide hand on her thin shoulder.

She looked up at him, wide eyed but didn't reply. Instead, Gemma chewed her lip, biting down until blood filled her mouth. She ignore the pain and focused on keeping a level head.

"SHEILD risked quite a lot in order to get our hands on you, Gem. Mark knows that, and it's my guess that he's not above using that information against us," Fury went on. "If you refuse to meet with him again, he might do something dangerous. We could loose you to him, Gem, forever."

Gemma swallowed. "So I have to give him another chance?" she asked, her voice wavering.

"I'm sorry, but yes. You're going to have to," Fury's voice was sympathetic, but Gemma doubted he truly understood. He didn't know that the only reason Mark was interested in her was because he's been threatened by none other than Loki; God of Lies himself.

"Okay," Gemma said at last. She slumped against the cool interior walls of the Helicarrier and drew a deep breath. "When does he want to see me?"

_I'll go, if only to teach Mark Shepherd a lesson he wont forget. After this, the old bastard won't dare mess with me ever again._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Taken In

**Loki **

The bedraggled Norse God came to slowly, some few hours after he'd been mugged. He cracked open his eyes, taking in his new surroundings as memories of the attack came back to him in flashes.

He lay on a low wooden table in a musty dark room. There was one small window at the top of each of the stone walls. It was too small for any person to get through but it was barred regardless. Dust swirls played in the light that lazed through the gap, too weak to penetrate the darkness of the interior.

Loki tried to get to his feet to no avail: he'd been tied down. A rank tasting cloth had been shoved unceremoniously into his mouth, making up for his lack of a muzzle. Loki hands were still bound by the magic-dampening cuffs, proving that any attempt at escape would be futile.

Loki's groan was lost to the cloth in his mouth when he gave up his attempts to get away.

'_I shall wait it out, these thugs cannot get away with this,'_

Loki's thoughts were interrupted when a creaky wooden door opened somewhere behind Loki's head. He rolled his eyeballs back to try and get a better look at who had entered the room but it was useless until said person came round to the front.

"Good day, Prince," the man paced into the room before Loki and bowed.

It was Salntur. The Aesir stood a few heads shorter than Loki in any normal circumstance, but now with Loki lying strapped to a low table, the man towered over him. His graying hair and beard were neat as ever, combed perfectly into place. His black and yellow robes that signified his placed as a Royal Advisor were crisp and clean and his unlined face was cold and hard like always. In short, the man looked out of place in this stale dank chamber.

Loki tried to spit out a venomous insult but to no avail, the gag only chaffed around his lips uncomfortably. Salntur's mouth split open in a discomforting smile, showing off his small sharp teeth.

"My Prince, I am afraid I can not hear you. Speak up, will you?" the man taunted.

Loki clamped down on his useless Silvertongue to prevent himself from attempting anything else; it would do no good to be humiliated. He ought to be spending his energy on figuring out his plan of escape.

"Ah, I see. Not in a talkative mood, are we?" Salntur pushed, strolling closer to Loki's broken form. His men had done well; Loki was even more battered than before. "I regret this, my Prince, but you _really_ must talk. You have some information that I've been _dying _to get my hands on."

Loki was bewildered. What could he possibly know that Salntur wanted? He racked his brains but came up with naught. Salntur was now standing directly over Loki, smiling down at him with those pointy white teeth. The man reached down and yanked the gag out of Loki's mouth harshly.

"Now, why don't you tell me her name?" Salntur demanded, crouching down so he was eyelevel with his prisoner.

"I don't know what you speak of!" Loki growled, speaking truthfully.

Salntur sighed deeply, his minty breath invaded Loki's nostrils unpleasantly. "We shall see about that," he said.

The man ran a spidery finger up the white expanse of Loki's throat, ending at the prince's chin. He pressed two fingers to Loki's lips and pried them open. "You will talk," he said in a low, threatening voice. "But for now I must return to the castle and conduct a search party for the missing Prince Loki. My friends will get it out of you. Just remember, the sooner you tell them, the faster this is over."

Salntur let go of Loki's chin and straightened up. He smiled devilishly down at Loki as he walked away. When he got to the door he called out, "Good sirs, the prince is all yours!" then he looked back over his shoulder at Loki and warned, "you'd best not attempt any half-assery with your Silvertongue, my Lord."

With those words, the Royal Advisor swept out of them room, leaving Loki to contemplate the situation.

'_Her name? Whose name? Who is it that Salntur could possibly wish to know of? He knows all the ladies of this realm… so she is of the other eight,' _Loki's mind flashed to the dark haired Midgardian beauty. But no, that didn't make sense. What could Salntur possibly want with Gem? Loki shook the thought off.

At that moment the door swung open for a second time. The same two Aesirs who'd mugged Loki on the streets earlier entered the chamber.

"You ready to talk, bag-of-bones?" greeted one of the men, gruffly.

Loki grunted in response and rolled his eyes.

"Looks like we're going to get to have some fun after all!" jousted the second man jovially.

The larger of the two men, whom Loki began to privately call "Brawn" in reference to his bugling muscles, grabbed Loki roughly round the soldiers and brought his face down so that Loki was forced to inhale the man's rank breath.

"What's the girl's name, Slop-Bucket?" Brawn demanded harshly, digging his thick fingers into Loki's pressure points.

Loki snarled, "I know not whom you speak of!"

"Is that so?" growled Brawn's friend, to whom Loki had given the name "Rodent", for his protrusive yellowing teeth and scraggy beard. "We speak of the Midgardian whore!"

Loki felt a chill run down his spine, turning the blood that ran through his veins into ice. Had it not been for the manacles around his wrists, he would have assumed his Jotun form right then and there. Instead he shuddered with rage and tried to shake his suppressor off.

"Why would I tell you?" he hissed.

"Tis only in your best interest, my Prince," Brawn replied snidely.

He let go of Loki's shoulders and the smaller man immediately slumped back against the wooden table, heaving in pain. He watched through blacked eyes as Rodent passed a long, sharp knife with a cruel, curving blade to Brawn, who looked upon the weapon with desire shining immodestly in his piggish eyes.

"Let's play a game, shall we?" Brawn snarled, placing the tip of the blade at Loki's pulsing jugular.

Loki jutted his chin up sharply and drew in an alarmed breath. The knife wasn't any ordinary knife; the blade had been soaked in the blood of thousands of Jotuns. It smelt of powerful magic; this blade was designed to kill a Frost Giant, or, at the very least, to cause one agony.

Loki swallowed slowly, his mind racing as he tried form a plan, but he came up blank; there was no way out of this.

"Why do you seek her?" he asked, after a moment. He was still painfully aware of the blade pressing down on his life-vein.

Rodent laughed snidely. "It matters not you to; keep out of our business!" he growled.

Brawn pressed the knife down harder, drawing blood. Loki gasped in pain; the magically treated knife hurt like nothing he'd ever felt before. Brawn smiled at his handy work, smearing the blood between his thumb and forefinger before wiping it on Loki's robes.

"Tell us the girl's name and you won't be hurt," he ordered.

"Listen, men," Loki began, grappling at his last string. "If you help me, if you get me out of here, I swear, I will grant you gifts of gold and mead aplenty. You will never be in need again!" he promised.

Brawn's forehead creased in thought. He drew back the knife just slightly and Loki let out a sigh of relief. But it was short-lived.

"Don't listen to him! He's using his Silvertongue!' Rodent screeched, rushing forward and tearing the knife from Brawn's hands.

Rodent now positioned the tip of the knife at Loki's sternum, seething with hostility.

"You try that one more time and I will cut out your tongue! You hear me?" he cried, pressing the blade through layers of leather like butter and slicing into Loki's bruised skin.

The dark haired god cried out and thrashed in pain. "I wont!" he sobbed, feeling disgusted at his lack of strength.

"Swear it!" demanded Rodent, slicing deeper still.

"On my word!" Loki promised, panting hard.

Rodent withdrew, smiling to himself. Brawn stood to the side, scratching his head with a look of confusion on his face, the stupid oaf.

"Now. Tell us what you know about this girl!" Rodent demanded.

Loki's resolve hardened. He knew he had to protect Gemma from these men at all costs. "No."

Upon hearing Loki's refusal, both Brawn and Rodent sprung into action. Brawn held him down while the latter gripped the blade of the knife hard and plunged it into Loki's torso, twisting it painfully.

The screams that came from Loki's mouth were inhuman; they were animalistic cries of pure pain in its rawest form.

The man yanked the knife back out of Loki's body and traced it along the length of his abdomen. Then, once more, he stuck it to the hilt between two of Loki's already cracked ribs.

Loki's mouth filled with blood. He was drowning in it. Never before had Loki wished so hard to be mortal, not even when he'd been falling. This was a whole new kind of pain and he wanted nothing more than for it to end, for _all_ of it to end. But he was cursed with the body and mind of a Jotun and a sorcerer; it would take much more to kill him.

"Tell us her name!" Brawn yelled, spraying spittle in Loki's face.

The god drew in rattling breaths, shaking with pain. He opened his eyes and met those of his captor. Then, before either Rodent or Brawn knew what was happening, Loki spat a mouthful of thick, red blood in the latter's face.

Brawn yowled with rage and smashed an iron-clad fist down with the force of a horse-hoof down on Loki's mouth, splitting his lip and knocking him out once more.

Loki came to not long afterwards. Brawn and Rodent still stood over him, but this time they were both armed with an array of torture equipment.

"Let the fun begin!" snarled Brawn, wiping Loki's blood form his bread with a nasty sneer.

* * *

The screams that came from that room for the next few hours were enough to send chills down the spine of the bravest man. Anyone who had heard them would have never forgot the sound of Loki's painful torture. They also would never have forgotten the sound of utter devastation in his voice when he screamed the words, "Her name is Gemma! Gemma Shepherd!" And _nobody_ would have recognized the beaten man who was drug out afterwards and discarded in a bloody heap on the side of the road, left to die.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: For those of you worrying that Loki seemed OOC in the last chapter: you have to realize how horribly they tortured him. He had a moment of weakness and it'll surely affect the rest of the story. **

Chapter 7

Restricted

**Gemma**

Four days after Gemma's talk with Fury found the both of them back in the black SUV, driving towards Lemon Street Café once again. This time, Gemma's friend Clint Barton accompanied them. He sat at the girl's side, patting her back every time her breath hitched with the suppressed tears that shone behind her wide hazel eyes.

"We'll both be there the whole time," Barton said for the fifth time since they'd disembarked the Helicarrier.

Gemma nodded solemnly but didn't say anything. In a matter of minutes she'd be meeting her mother and father as well as her newfound little brother, Jessie. She wished for nothing other than to be a thousand miles away from that place, but she had no choice else she'd loose the only home she knew.

"Gem," Fury said, looking at her sheepishly. He held out a solid metal device with many dials. It was Gemma's MFD, the cuff she would be forced to wear around her neck to prevent her from using her power. Her mother had insisted that Gemma wear the thing.

She took the hated MFB from Fury's hands and fastened it around her own neck. It dug into the soft skin there, bruising it and chafing. She winced in pain but didn't complain. Fury passed her the key.

"I'm going to let you keep this, Gem. You're not being punished," he said, smiling sadly. He knew how much she hated the device; it was like stuffing her very mind into a prison.

To his surprise, Gemma bit her lip and shook her head. "I don't want to loose it," she insisted, pushing his hand away.

Fury shrugged and pocketed the key. "Well we'll get this thing off of you once this ordeal is over with, I promise." he said.

The driver stopped the car shortly thereafter. The three passengers climbed out, muttering their thanks as they went.

Gemma fought down her emotions and succeeded in pulling off an uninterested face, though she was screaming inside. The last time she'd met with her father, he'd revealed that the only reason he'd shown interest in her was because he'd been threatened into doing so by someone who actually did-Loki. But Barton and Fury knew none of that and Gemma thought she'd like to keep it that way.

Barton took Gemma's hand with a comforting squeeze as the three of them ducked through the door to the bustling café. Once inside, a waitress kindly led them to the table where the Shepherds were waiting. Gemma felt her breath catch when she laid eyes upon her family.

Carry was a small thing, weak and slight. Her poorly dyed blonde hair was fried to a crisp by many years of heat treatment and her face already showed signs of age though she couldn't be over forty.

Then there was Mark, but Gemma spent no time in looking at him. She knew what he looked like well enough. He had her eyes.

But then there was Jessie. The boy was young, maybe six or seven. He had light brown hair that stuck up in the back. A slight spattering of freckles adorned his glowing cheeks, and his wide blue eyes were rimmed with blessedly long lashes. He had the kind of face that Gemma just couldn't help but love, though she wished not to.

Mark and Carry pushed their seats back and got to their feet to greet the new arrivers. Gemma noticed the weary eyes her mother had for her, as the woman hesitantly shook her hand.

"Oh, Gemma," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

Gemma bit down on her lips but didn't correct the woman on her name. She merely nodded before pulling her hand free and taking a seat next to Jessie.

"You're my big sis?" he asked, staring up at her with eyes filled with wonder.

Gemma smiled a bit and nodded.

"Mommy says you're dangerous. I'm not supposed to talk to you," he informed her loudly.

The rest of the party stopped talking. Carry cleared her throat and took her seat on the other side of Jessie. Mark wrung his hands sheepishly and bowed his head before sitting down next to his wife. Clint, of course, sat down at Gemma's side, where his hand found her knee under the table. Fury glared fiercely at Carry however, and refused to sit down.

"_Gem _is no more dangerous than you or I," his voice held some unspoken warning, but nonetheless, Carry seemed to understand.

The older woman ducked her head shamefully and adverted her gaze. Mark put his arm around his wife protectively and held her close.

After an uncomfortable silence that seemed to last for ages, Fury finally took his seat and the waitress bustled over to take their orders. Gemma asked for a mug of coffee, ("that's all, thank you"). After the woman left, the silence settled again, only broken by a few mundane comments here and there.

Finally, Carry spoke up, addressing Gemma herself.

"So, honey-"

Gemma cut her off harshly. She'd promised Fury she would be on her best behaviors, but Jessie's comment had dissolved that resolution. "You have no right to call me 'honey'!" she snarled.

Barton applied a warning pressure with his grip on her knee. She ignored him and stared down her mother. The woman looked flustered but she managed to keep her cool.

"I am sorry, and I understand that. What should I call you?" Carry asked.

"She goes by 'Gem'," Mark interjected, looking proud that he'd remembered her chosen nickname.

Gemma was quick though, jumping right in. "Nah," she drawled. "I think, 'Dangerous Subject Number One will suffice," she said coolly.

Across the table Gemma heard a sharp intake of breath from Fury, but she avoided his gaze. Instead she turned to Jessie, plastering on a fake smile.

"So sweetie, why did mommy say I was dangerous?" The way Gemma said the word "mommy" was reminiscent the taste of spoiled milk.

Mark cleared his throat. "Uh, lets forget about that Gem… How have you been, kid?" he asked.

Gemma snapped her head in his direction, scowling. "No, I don't think I will forget about it," she turned to face Carry. "Would you like to see something, mom?" she asked, a deadly ring to her usually innocent voice.

Under the table Barton dug his fingernails into her knee but she hardly felt it through the denim fabric of her pants.

Carry swallowed, her eyes wide with fear. Gemma put on a menacing smile and slowly raised one hand to the collar of her hoodie, tugging it down. She stretched out her neck to show the woman the chafing cuff she wore around her neck.

"This is what we like to call my 'MFB'. That stands for Mobile Functioning Device. A man called Tony Stark, _maybe you've heard of him, _developed this just for me. You see, when I wear it I cannot use my gift. It's like stuffing my brain into a cramped little box. Very suffocating," Gemma went on. "I was informed that you would have me wear this in your presence. So no, I am not dangerous. I am imprisoned, for _your _own comfort. I think I deserve a little more respect."

When Gemma finished talking, the silence was deafening. Everyone started at her with wide eyes. Fury looked pissed but Gemma hardly cared. She knew he agreed, as did Clint.

Gemma felt a light tugging at her sleeve. It was Jessie, looking up at her with eyes filled with wonder.

"Can you teach me how to do what you do?" he pleaded, eyes shining.

The was a collective gasp and Carry put a fluttering hand to her heart, clutching at the light pink of her cardigan. Gemma smiled, amused at the reaction of her mother.

"Of course, Jess!" she said, throwing a sickly sweet smile to Carry. "If your momma says it's okay, that is."

Carry seemed at a loss for words. She sputtered helplessly and her eyes filled with tears.

"No, my boy. That isn't a good idea," Mark finally said in a low voice, looking authoritative.

"I don't see why so," Clint added in, catching Gemma's eye as he spoke. "In fact, I think it's a great idea!"

Gemma nodded her head in agreement. Exactly why she found herself wanting to be a good sister to Jessie was beyond her. She thought about how it wasn't his fault their parents had giant cocks up their asses, just like it wasn't Loki's fault he'd been born to a Frost Giant lord.

"Jess, your father said no," Carry warned, her voice was stern and unforgiving.

Jessie looked crushed but he nodded his head solemnly and said nothing.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to wash my hands before we eat," Gemma dismissed herself and got to her feet. No one tried to stop her, and she walked away she heard Barton crack a joke to lighten the mood. She felt an appreciative warmth rise in her chest for him.

When Gemma reached the restroom it was empty. She breathed a sigh of relief, she'd hoped she would be alone. She wandered to the skink and leant over it, turning on the water and letting it run cold before dipping her hands in the flow and scooping up the chill liquid.

Gemma raised her hands upwards and splashed herself in the face. She did this twice more before reaching out blindly for the paper towel dispenser. She grabbed a towel and used it to mop the wetness from her face, aware that she'd effectively made her makeup run.

She rubbed the black smears from her eyes before opening them to look at her reflection in the mirror. She didn't even have time to scream when she saw in the glass that she was not alone. Behind her were the forms of two burly, menacing looking men. No sooner had she seen then than they'd grabbed hold of her.

One of them, whom reminded Gemma distinctly of a rat, muffled her mouth with a large hand. She bit down and even drew blood but he did not let her go. The other man, a immensely huge muscly type, picked her up from behind and whispered in her ear, "Say goodbye to your precious earth, Midgardian."

Gemma watched in the mirror as the restroom filled with a bright-hot white light before she felt her entire body jerk and the room spun away as her muffled screams and useless kicks were transported elsewhere.

* * *

In a far away realm, Thanos, the disgraced Eternal, patiently awaited the arrival of the young Midgardian girl whom he had sought out for one sole purpose: Loki must be punished for his failure to deliver the Tesseract to the Chituari, and this fiery mortal was his only weakness.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Health and Pain

**Loki **

It was early in the morning and still very much dark when a wandering farmer, a man called Lermes, happened across a crumpled form lying in a pool of dark blood on the side of the street. Lermes let out a cry for help and rushed to the body. He knelt over the man and checked his pulse, relieved to discover he was breathing.

* * *

"Ah, you're awake!"

Loki opened his eyes and peered around. He hadn't a clue where he was but from the looks of it he lay on a down bed inside a small yet comfortable abode. The man who had spoken was the jovial sort, old and smoking a pipe.

"Where am I?" Loki croaked.

"Me home. I found ye this morning on the side of the road, half dead. Me very own wife an' daughter patched ye up darn well; they is both natural healers, they is," the man boasted. "But I'm afraid we couldn't do nothing about the cuffs 'round yer wrists. Tis some mighty strong metal work! Ye must have some powerful enemies, sir."

Loki's forehead creased as he tried to place the man's accent, it might be Vanaheimian, the man did have the sort of faraway look in his eyes that the Vanir often have.

Loki attempted to get out of the bed but at once searing pains shot throughout his entire body. He unwillingly let out a cry and slumped back down, panting.

"Ye shouldn't be trying anything, good sir. If I was ye, I'd be in bed for the rest 'o the season," warned the man.

"Who are you?" Loki demanded harshly; he didn't like to be told what to do.

"Name's Lermes, sir. I'm from Vanaheim, used to be a Seerer but 'twasnt me callin' so I up an' moved here, sir, to tend the crops," he explained.

Loki smiled to himself; so he'd been right, the man really was Vanir.

"Listen, Lermes, I need to get to the palace, can you get me there?" Loki asked, thinking of what a frenzy everyone must be in.

To his great annoyance, Lermes only laughed heartily. "Why would ye be needin' to go to the palace? Don't tell me ye is a prince!"

"Actually, I am. Prince Loki of Asgard, maybe you've heard of me?" Loki replied snidely with a hint of sarcasm.

Lermes laughed even harder until he had a coughing fit and was forced to sit down on the edge of Loki's bed and take out his pipe.

"'Tis a good one, sir. But what do you take me for? I am no fool; yer no prince!" he said after he'd sobered up.

"You wont be laughing when I have you executed for detaining me from my palace!" Loki snarled.

Lermes tensed up; he didn't much like the looks of the strange man he'd taken in. The guy who claimed to be Prince Loki had a feral look about him, and Lermes didn't doubt the murderous glint in his forest green eyes.

"I'll take ye to Merchant Square, tis not far from the palace," Lermes said, getting back to his feet and sucking nervously at his pipe. "But you shall have to wait until me wife returns from the market, she has the pony and the cart."

Loki nodded slowly, still glaring at Lermes with fire in his eyes, but Merchant Square really was close to the palace and he knew better than to push his luck. He rested his head on the soft pillow and before long he'd fallen asleep once more.

* * *

**Salntur**

Back in the palace Salntur was in a fit of anger; he'd just spoken to his accomplices, the men who'd tortured Loki for him.

Salntur threw a beautifully crafted china vase at the wall and watched it shatter. He'd never been so angry: the foolish men had left the prince in the road. Left him to die! If Loki did die, Salntur himself would be killed. His orders had been to keep the prince alive, it was all part of the master's plan.

Salntur crushed the broken china under his boot and screamed with rage.

"Those fools!" he cried, dashing yet another vase at the wall.

There came a knock at his door. Quickly, Salntur tried to recompose himself before the door swung inwards. A quivering slave girl peered into the room, her eyes widening when she took in the scene.

"What do you want?" snapped Salntur.

Nervously, the girl replied, "Prince Loki was found in Merchant Square not five minutes ago,"

"Has he?" asked Salntur breathlessly.

His anger and fear dissipated at once.

"I thought you should know," the girl stammered.

"Very good of you, my Lady, I thank you," Salntur murmured, not really paying attention to the girl.

She bowed and backed out of the room, closing the door behind her. Salntur sank into a velvet armchair and clasped his hands together, grinning.

Everything was going according to plan.

O o o

**Gemma**

Gemma remembered seeing the two men behind her in the reflection of the mirror. She remembered a large, meaty hand clamping down on her mouth, and she remembered the taste of the man's blood on her tongue when she bit down on his fingers. Then she remembered the flash of white light, and nothing else.

Gemma drifted between sleep and consciousness, never sure of which was which.

In one dream- no maybe it was reality- a formidable form hovered over her, muttering an incantation. She felt her body float up from the cold, hard ground where she lay. She was now floating listlessly in the air, her body limp with defeat. She closed her eyes tight because she didn't want to see the red, evil eyes of the figure. She could still smell him though: rank like rotting meat. She willed herself to forget him, praying it was all a dream. Her head lolled back limply.

In another, monsters surrounded her body and whispered cruel things in her ears. They bit her with their sharp teeth and poked her with fiery sticks. She cried out in pain but that only made them madder and they only hurt her more.

From where Gemma floated in the air she could clearly see the land around her. Everything was very dark and barren, like the inside of an ice-cave. There were stars, but they were as cold and distant as her old life. The landscape was rugged and ugly, a maze of jagged cliffs and dark abysses.

It was on the third day that Gemma finally accepted the truth of things: it was all real.

When the monsters came to hurt her, this time, Gemma resisted. She could not call upon her powers due to the awful cuff still secured around her neck, but she screamed louder than ever and kicked them with her feet. She clawed at their horribly twisted faces with her hands and butted at them with her head. This time, they fell back after barely drawing blood.

"Help! Help! Please, someone help me!" Gemma screamed, writhing in the air where she was suspended.

"No one can hear you, my dear," a cold voice spoke directly into her ear, causing the hair on the back of her neck to rise.

A rank smell invaded her nose, making her gag. She recognized that smell; it had accompanied the creature who'd strung her up in the air. She felt her blood turn to ice with fear.

"Who are you?" she asked in a shaky voice that did not belong to her- gone was the bravery that she'd called upon her entire life.

"You do not recognize me?" the creature replied, sounding amused. He came out from behind her and stood directly before her. "I am your greatest fear. I am everyone's greatest fear," he said, tapping her chin with one long, rotting finger and lifting it up. "My name is Thanos," he breathed.

Gemma shuddered and writhed, attempting to break his grip. He laughed and at once her limbs were frozen, unable to move. Thanos moved towards her, locking his soulless yellow eyes on her hazel ones. He brought his mouth to her neck and Gemma let out a cry when his wet tongue grazed just above the awful cuff. Then, without warning, he bit into her skin, hard, drawing blood.

The scream that broke though Gemma's lips was guttural. It tore through the stagnant air and echoed through the empty caverns and cervices.

"Ah! The taste of mortal flesh!" Thanos groaned wickedly.

He licked his lips in relish and Gemma felt her empty stomach heave when she saw his chin glistening with her blood.

"Why am I here?" she asked after summoning her strength, though tears poured shamelessly from her eyes.

Thanos laughed in a cold, dead tone that sent chills down Gemma's spine.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked. "No? Then it will be soon."

With those words, Thanos seemed to dissolve into nothing. As soon as he was gone, Gemma's limbs were released from their hold. She used a trembling hand to stench the flow of blood from the bite mark in her neck.

Time was immeasurable here, and after what seemed like hours but could have been minutes or days, Gemma fell into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

In her dream she was invisible. Gemma stood in a grand room, golden and immense. It was bustling with activity; men and woman gossiping, dancing and feasting around a large table laden with fruits, meats and mead. Gemma took in the view, turning around, dressed in an elaborate golden dress sparkling with diamonds and glowing with an urethral shine. Her eyes searched the crowd. She was looking for someone, she'd forgotten who but she'd know it when she saw him.

Someone tapped her shoulder and she jerked round. It was Loki, dressed in his formal Aesir grandeur, minus the golden helmet. He stood with his arms crossed and a cocky smile plastered over his face. He was in good health, better than when she'd seen him last.

Loki took one of her hands gingerly in his and raised it to his lips. Gemma felt her skin rise with goose-bumps at his touch. She couldn't help the blush that spread throughout her entire face, coloring it a rosy shade of pink.

"May I have this dance, Gem of Midgard?" he asked with a slight, mocking bow.

Gemma nodded her consent, though she knew not the dances of Asgard

"Just follow my lead," Loki whispered brazenly in her ear.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hardly daring to touch him. He smirked in amusement at her childish worries, almost as though he could hear them out-loud. Loki forcefully pulled her by the waist closer into him and rested his angular chin on the top of her head, peering around the room at the other dancers.

"They cannot see us," he observed, sounding only mildly interested.

"No, they cant." Gemma agreed.

"Why is that so, Gem?" Loki asked.

"Because we're invisible." Gemma stated simply.

"Are we? How?"

"Because this is a dream?" Gemma explained, feeling slightly exasperated.

Loki frowned and pulled away so her could look her in the eyes.

"Whose dream is it?" he asked.

Gemma frowned back at him, suddenly unsure.

"Mine?" she said, wavering.

Loki nodded but he didn't look convinced.

"Tis a shame, I would have liked for this to be real. I shall miss you when you awaken, Gem." He said, looking crestfallen.

Gem raised a hand to the back of his neck and pulled him into a fervent kiss. He leaned into it and drew her in closer, grabbing fistfuls of her hair, not caring that he was messing it up.

"Who says I have to wake up?" Gemma finally said, pulling away.

Loki laughed, but this time it was dark and heartless. Gemma jerked back, stumbling on the hem of her dress and falling to the floor. Suddenly, she was no longer invisible and the party attendants were all staring at her with wide eyes and whispering to each other.

"I do." Loki said.

Only it wasn't Loki anymore; in his place stood Thanos, his chin dripping with dark red blood and his eyes glowing with hatred.

Someone screamed, then someone else and all at once the entirety of the attendants were letting out the same, bone-chilling scream of fear.

Gemma woke up.

**AN: I hope you payed attention in this chapter, Lermes isn't just a filler character, you'll be seeing more of him. **


	9. Chapter 9

**_Important_ AN: so guys, I did warn you about the slow updates. Sorry about that! My writing workshop is over so I'll have more time, at least until the 22nd. I leave for an art workshop then. I don't even know if I'll have WIFI but I'm thinking I might. Cross your fingers! So, here's chapter 10. Concerning any questions you may have: unless I specially answer them in the story or in an author's note, they will be answered later on in the story.**

**Please review and share this story with your friends! I love all the positive support!**

**Also, if anyone has questions regarding me letting you use Gem in your own fic, please message me and we can talk about it! On the other hand, I would LOVE it if any of you talented artists out there wanted to do a drawing for the over photo! I'm sure many of you have wonderful ideas of how Gemma looks and I'd love to see them! So send those over to me via Tumblr. (ask me for my URL). Thanks!**

Chapter 9

Bound Again

**Loki **

Back in the palace Frigga called for the best healers in all of Asgard to tend to her son. The wife of Lermes and their daughter had done well but the treatment Loki required was of a far more advanced nature. The three healers who went to work on him each used their own talent to the best of their ability: magic; herbs and medicines; and the more mundane approach of stitching and sewing.

By the time the healers were dismissed night had fallen.

"My son," a voice spoke, rousing Loki from the inner musings of his own mind.

Loki looked up, his pain filled eyes settling on the speaker: Odin.

"You are not my father. My father is dead! I killed him." Loki said without a hint of emotion.

Odin's face reddened under his grizzly beard but he didn't say anything for a long time. Instead, the old man looked at the bandaged and patched up prince who sprawled haphazardly on the pristine sheets in the Medical Bay.

"You will always be my son." Odin said at last with a finality that offered no chance of rebuttal.

Loki scowled and directed his emerald gaze to the gilded ceiling.

"While you were being healed we held another hearing on your behalf," Odin informed him. "It has been decided that since the muzzle was so… Disposable," Odin winced, undoubtedly thinking of Thor's treasonous actions. "We shall sew your mouth shut with indestructible thread crafted in the heartland of Alfheim."

If Loki was scared he did not show it. In fact, when Odin searched the dark-haired prince's face, he saw only stubborn defiance. The old man sighed sadly and turned to walk back out the door. He paused with his hand on the wooden surface and looked once more at his son.

"You could have done it, Loki, but you _never_ should have tried."

Odin walked out the door, leaving Loki alone to contemplate the Allfather's words.

"_I could have done father, for you. For us all!" _

Loki remembered the circumstance like it had happened seconds ago, and in a way it had. He remembered Odin's unforgiving response. The words that had shattered all remnants of Loki's hope.

"_Loki, no." _

Fighting a burning pain that had nothing to do with his physical injuries, Loki rolled over in bed and buried his bandaged face into the soft down of the pillow.

_Loki, no. Loki, no. Loki, no. _

The words echoed in his skull like teeth being shook inside a glass ball. Loki groaned and willed himself to forget, to move on. It wasn't until Borgn, the royal "Punisher" entered the room that Loki shook the words from his head.

"Prince Loki," Borgn said gruffly as he bowed low before Loki.

Loki sneered.

"Come to sew my lips shut, Borgn?"

"I apologize, prince. Allfather's orders."

Borgn looked sheepish, he and Loki had always had an amiable relationship. Borgn had been born not long after Loki, and for once, Loki had someone younger than him to boss around. The two had run amok together creating mischief along with Thor in their younger years.

Loki, with a barely suppressed grunt of pain, heaved himself into sitting position.

"Just make haste. I have things to do, people to save."

Loki spoke offhandedly, though in actuality he couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear when Borgn produced a long sharp needle from a burlap sack and advanced on him.

"I BESEECH YOU, HALT!" a voice boomed and the door swung open, crashing against the walls.

Thor barged in looking furious.

"Borgn! Do not lay a hand on my brother of I will throttle thee!" he screamed.

"Prince Thor," Borgn said, bowing lowly. "I am afraid I shall have to take death; I cannot disobey the king's orders!"

"Please, friend," sobbed Thor, grabbing Borgn's shoulder's and looking him dead on in the eyes.

"Thor, quit mewling and let the man do his job," Loki said with a sigh, rolling his eyes.

Thor turned to glare at his brother.

"Do not tell me you wish for this, brother!" he said.

"Tis my punishment," Loki replied. He observed Thor mildly before saying, "I presume you have received one of your own… For assisting a traitor."

Thor swallowed and stared at his feet before nodding his glossy head.

"Tis the truth, brother. My coronation has been… Postponed until father deems me worthy of such burdens."

Loki smiled cruelly.

"So Asgard has won yet another period of peace for your foolish rein," he breathed, glee dancing in his eyes.

Thor nodded solemnly.

"Tis only for the best, brother," he agreed.

Loki scowled.

"I have let this go too far! Never again will you disgrace me with that title! I am no brother of yours! My name is Laufeyson, a Jotun. You are Odinson, an Aesir. Do not confuse us as siblings, Thor. You promised"

Thor opened his mouth to argue bit Loki cut him off.

"Before it's too late, I'm sure you've all been _dying _to know: Salntur and this men were the ones who did this to me," Loki spat. "And he's after Gemma, from SHEILD. She needs me, Thor."

Thor looked like a fish out of water, gaping for air. "Loki, Salntur is an advisor!" he said breathlessly.

"Be it as it may, twas he," Loki said with a shrug. "Borgn, I shall not wait any longer!" he snapped.

"Yes, my Lord," mumbled Borgn, fixing a thin golden thread to the cruel needle.

Thor's eyes burned but this time he did not act rashly. Instead, the blonde prince sat next to Loki on the bed. Loki scowled and made to move away but his body was in no condition to do such a thing.

"Twill be best if you hold still, my prince," Borgn advised. "I will not lie to thee, this will hurt, but twill be over soon."

Loki nodded and his pale Adam's apple moved up and down as swallowed nervously, this was the only sign of fear he showed.

Borgn tilted Loki's chin into a sharp angle, the better to get at his mouth.

Thor, without thinking, gripped both of Loki's hands in one of his. Loki tried to pull them back but Borgn scolded him and once again warned not to move. Loki sulkily stared down Thor, shooting daggers with his murderous gaze. Thor held his ground however.

Loki's usually cool hands were hot and sweaty, another sign of fear. Thor felt his brother twinge with pain when the needle pierced his pale upper lip. A thin trickle of blood ran over his mouth. Thor squeezed tighter still, hoping to ease some of his brother's pain with the comforting pressure.

Even Loki, though he wouldn't admit it, not even to himself, appreciated Thor's gesture just as much as he detested it.

By the time Borgn was done, the entirety of Loki's jaw was running with rivulets of blood. His forehead gleamed with perspiration and even his hard eyes were glistening.

"Loki…" Thor breathed, finally letting go of his brother's hands.

Loki's mouth was sealed shut with many tight, even stiches of golden thread, giving the god a puckered look once the blood had been wiped away.

"Your majesties," Borgn said with a bow, backing out the door once his work was done.

Thor didn't spare the Punisher a glance but Loki nodded at his old friend.

"Tis very late, Broth- Loki. You should get some sleep, twill be good for your healing," Thor said after a moment. "And in the marrow I shall persecute the bastards who did this to you... and seek to assist the mortal you... covet."

Loki attempted a sneer in Thor's direction but the stiches kept his mouth in a harsh line, causing a fresh wave of pain. Loki winced and then settled himself into bed, deciding to listen to Thor's advice.

Thor himself sat on a straight-backed chair at Loki's bedside and kept watch over his brother's sleeping form. Before long, the both of them had drifted off into dreamland, Thor snoring loudly while Loki was silent as a corpse.

* * *

In his dream, Loki was with Gemma. They were laying, side by side on the roof of Stark tower.

"That one there, we call it Orion's Belt," Gemma murmured, pointing to a cluster of twinkly stars.

"Your stars are so far away," mused Loki.

There was silence for a long while before Gemma spoke again.

"I think that's why we are so enthralled by them... We can see them but we can never touch them."

Loki snorted, "Touch them? Why would you wish to do that? Don't you mortals know that a star would burn you right up?"

Gemma rolled over on her side and faced him glowering.

"Of course we know that! But it's a nice idea, okay? Bug off," she grumbled.

Loki turned to face her and found their noses brushing. A pink wash spread up Gemma's cheeks and the crease of anger smoothed from her brow.

"That's better, Gem," Loki whispered.

Delicately, he reached forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her in to him. They kissed long and hard, until Gemma had to pull away for a breath.

Loki groaned and sat up, pulling her onto his lap.

"Gem," he said, planting a kiss on her mouth. "You," he moved his lips down her jawline and left a trail of kisses in his wake. "Are the," he continued down her neck, mouthing his mouth skillfully. Gemma arched her back and let her head fall back and her eyes close. "Only person I have ever," he reached her collar bone and she let out a moan that was echoed by his own. "Cared about this much."

Loki felt a desire throbbing throughout his entire body. He groaned again and pushed Gemma onto the ground, laying down feverish kisses on all her exposed skin. Slowly, he lowered himself over her and covered her body with his own.

"Really?" she asked.

"I swear it on Odin's beard."

o o o


	10. Chapter 10

**__AN: thank you for all the reviews and favorites! That's what really keeps me going when I am stuck. (: **

**This is a short chapter but I've been really busy and this is an important one! I promise they wont all be short. **

**Please review!**

Chapter 10

Master's Plan

**Gemma**

Gemma wriggled her fingers under the edge of the MFB, struggling in vain to break it off. She knew it was no use but it was the most productive way for her to pass the time. It must have been centuries since Thanos kidnapped her, at least, that's what it felt like. Fury and Agent Barton must be worried sick about her! Gemma groaned and let her hand fall to her side, giving up.

In the days since she'd been held captive, Thanos visited her often. He always asked the same question: "_Do you know why we're here?" _And each time Gemma closed her eyes tight and tried to pretend she was back on earth enjoying some quality training with Barton.

This time it was different. Thanos appeared before her like usual and repeated the question. This time, Gemma kept her eyes open, glaring into his defiantly.

"Let me go," she insisted.

An evil grin split Thanos' face in two. Hundreds of sharp pointed teeth glinted in the dark.

"I am afraid I cannot do that. You see, I _need _you," he hissed, advancing forward.

Gemma shivered and fought the urge to close her eyes.

"Why?" she asked, her voice quivering.

"Let me show you…"

Thanos lay a twisted finger on her forehead and before she knew what he was doing, he'd spat an incantation and Gemma's vision filled with white-hot light that nearly blinded her. She closed her eyes against the brightness.

When she opened them again, gone was the barren world she'd grown to loath. Gone were the monsters with their horrible tortures. Gemma was alone.

She stood in a high-ceilinged room with golden trimmings along the walls and elegantly carved pillars. There was a wide set of wooden doors directly to her left. Gemma hesitated for a second before pushing them open and walking through.

The room was almost empty except for the sleeping forms of two people. One was a handsome man with golden hair and a beard. Gemma recognized him at once: it was Thor. He was slumped in an uncomfortable position, asleep in a straight-backed chair.

Not far away was a bed, wherein lay another figure. Gemma felt her heart leap into her throat when she caught sight of long strands of ink-blot hair slicked back over a pale face. It was unmistakably Loki.

She rushed forward and dropped to her knees at the side of the bed, careful not to wake Thor.

"Loki!" she hissed, shaking him lightly.

The prince stirred after a moment and rolled over in bed to face her. His eyes grew wide with shock at the same moment as hers did the same. His lips had been sewed shut with even lengths of golden thread, stained red with dried blood.

"Loki? What's going on?" she whimpered, reaching towards him delicately. "Help me!"

He jerked back and shook his head silently.

"I need help! Loki, they took me!" she whispered, sobbing.

Loki's eyebrows drew together in confusion. He pointed to his lips and then to his forehead before reaching out and tapping her own. Gemma understood: he couldn't talk, obviously, so he wanted to communicate using their minds, something the both had the ability to do.

Gemma shook her head, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. She pulled down the collar of her shirt, which was stained with blood, and showed him the MFB cuff encircling her neck.

Loki frowned and Gemma could see the considerable pain that the slight motion caused him. She placed her fingers on his lips, wishing she could take the pain away. He moved his own hand until it came at a rest on the scaring puncture wounds Thanos had left just under the MFB. His cold touch eased some of the pain.

At that moment, Gemma smelled the rotting flesh odor that always preluded the arrival of Thanos. She tensed and could feel Loki do the same; his own eyes were narrowed with suspicion.

"Prince Loki," Thanos said, his voice came from behind Gemma's back.

She let out a sob in fear and pulled herself closer to the safety of Loki.

Thanos' hand shot forward and yanked her back, clutching her like a rag doll to his armored torso. A scream rose in Gemma's chest but Thanos clamped down on her mouth with his hand.

"Bring me the Tesseract, Loki," Thanos hissed.

Loki was stunned, he stared at Thanos with unbelieving eyes.

"Bring me the Tesseract or she dies!" Thanos demanded, pulling a knife from thin air and tracing designs along Gemma's collarbone with the tip idly.

Loki's eyes flickered to Gemma's for half a second and then he nodded slowly.

"You have three days."

With those words, the familiar white light filled the room and Gemma felt her body leave with it.

O o o

**Loki **

Loki woke up with a start breathing hard. His fingers rose to touch the stiches on his mouth, flinching when it hurt. He looked over and saw Thor still asleep in the chair.

Loki wished nothing more than to tell Thor about his dream- if it had been a dream, it felt so real. Either way, Loki knew what he must do: save Gemma. She was suffering and it was all his fault. He had to bring the Tesseract to Thanos, and for that he would need Thor's help.

He painstakingly got to his feet limped to the chair where Thor sat, snoring like a herd of oxen. He shook Thor's shoulders harshly. Thor awoke with a bellow, his hands reaching instinctively for Mjolnir.

"What is it, Brother?" he asked groggily, jumping to his feet and bracing for battle.

Loki shook his head with frustration, cursing the stiches that held his lips painfully together.

Thor frowned and looked at Loki pleadingly.

"Can't you write it down?" he asked.

_Of course. _Thought Loki, feeling stupid, He should have thought of that sooner.

"Wait here, Broth-"

Loki gave him a smoldering look.

"_Loki," Thor corrected himself. "I shall return soon with ink and parchment!" he announced before dashing back out of the room.

Loki sank in to the chair, absently picking at a bloody bandage on his bare chest and thinking of nothing other than the look of terror in Gemma's eyes just before Thanos took her away in the flash of bright light.

Several minutes later Thor returned, clutching not only the promised ink and parchment, but also a soft green tunic and a black sur-coat. That's when Loki became aware of how bare-skinned he was; only dressed in bandages and white shorts.

He grabbed the clothes and pulled them over his head, settling into them like a second skin. Next, he reached for the writing equipment Thor was holding out to him. Loki gritted his teeth; he hated that he'd been reduced to turning to Thor for help, and over a mortal, no less!

He dipped the quill in the ink well and spelled out one word with spikey and delicate handwriting.

"_Help."_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Lady Death

**Gemma**

"Argh!" Gemma screamed when an hot iron poker entered her body through her side once more. The monsters had been torturing her more than ever of late and she had not the will nor power to fight back. Her only hope now was Loki; she'd heard the deal Thanos presented to the prince but she feared he would not take it. Why would Loki risk anything for her? He was a god of lies and she was simply a mere mortal girl, what did he care if Thanos tortured her half to death?

Then again, Loki's shining green eyes bore into the memory like a blazing inferno, melting all rationality. He'd looked at her with determination smoldering in his eyes. Gemma couldn't help but think that someone with that much raw emotion would just leave her here to die. It was all she had to cling to, nevertheless.

Blood ran down her body from countless gaping wounds. She was feeling dizzy and nauseous from the pain. Her throat was dry as paper and her stomach was empty and shrunken; it had been nearly two days since Thanos had fed her, and even then only a small glass of water and stale bread.

A particularly fierce monster latched onto her leg and hauled itself up her body despite her attempts to shake it off. To her horror it sunk it's teeth into the soft skin of her belly and began to tear out chunks of dripping red meat. Gemma's scream died on her lips as she lost consciousness, thinking only one thing: _I ought to be dead. Let me die!_

O o o

When Gemma woke up she found her wounds to be patched up and nearly healed. _The better to do it all over again._

She opened her eyes and peered into the darkness. An evil laugh sounded in her ear. Thanos.

She snapped her head around to look at him.

"You evil son of a bitch! Let me go!" she screamed, finding her will power suddenly renewed.

Gemma swung her fists at Thanos, only hitting his heavily armored chest. He chuckled and sidestepped her weakening flurry of attacks.

"Calm down, my precious little gem," he murmured, caressing her face with his gnarled hands.

Gemma flinched back, fighting to keep down the bile that was threatening to rise from her empty stomach.

"Don't. Touch. Me!" she spat through gritted teeth.

Thanos laughed again but he consented to her wish and withdrew, smiling darkly.

"I want to introduce you to someone, Gemma," he said.

Gemma gulped down a knot of dread but didn't reply.

Thanos' grin widened at her show of fear.

"Come, My Lady," he murmured with a deep bow, his eyes glinted with expectance.

Gemma felt the presence of Lady Death, (for it was she who Thanos called upon) before seeing her. A unearthly chill filled Gemma's heart with fear.

Then Lady Death materialized before her very eyes. Gemma couldn't fight back the scream that escaped her lips, echoing through the desolate land.

Lady Death stood at least 6 feet tall, draped in black lace. Her skin was pale and waxen; sunken cheeks and the worst part? Her eyes were empty black pits; soulless. A corpse. She opened her thin lips and let out a salutary laugh.

"This is the girl?" she mused, addressing Thanos though her eyes were on Gemma.

"Yes, my Lady!" Thanos quipped, looking excited.

Lady Death placed a cold hand on Gemma's face, peering into her eyes.

"Ah, yes. Perfect!" Lady Death breathed with excitement. "She has a strong will. I like that," she murmured, bringing her lips down to Gemma's exposed neck and placing them to a stretch of skin just above the MFB cuff in a kiss. Gemma winced and tried to pull away but it was useless. "We'll have to break it, of course," Lady Death continued. She nipped Gemma's neck, hard enough to draw blood. With a ruff, catlike tongue she licked it away, smiling darkly. "Ah, delicious!"

"Who are you?" Gemma gasped in a mixture of pain and shock.

"Death… Lady Death," was the reply.

"What do you want with me?"

"Oh, just your body!" laughed Lady Death.

Gemma recoiled in fear, her mouth quivering.

"Don't be such a prude, mortal! Besides, that's _not _what I meant," Lady Death admonished. "I want to, hmm… for lack of a better word: I wish to inhabit your skin."

Gemma let out a breathy sound of terror and shrank back from Lady Death's soulless gaze.

"Get away from me, you bitch!" Gemma cried, but it was weak and she knew it.

"I shall break your will and eat your damned soul!" Lady Death cried. "And when your precious body is no more than an empty husk, void of life, I shall make it mine! And your beloved Prince Loki will learn the true meaning of pain."

"You're wrong!" Gemma spat. "You wont fucking break my goddamned will! You can't eat my fucking soul! And you will not lay one of your ugly-ass hands on Loki, you filthy bitch!"

Now it was Lady Death's turn to look surprised. Apparently little Gemma was stronger than they had originally planned for. Lady Death turned to face Thanos who was frowning.

"How long do we have?" she whispered.

"Three days," Thanos replied gruffly.

Lady Death nodded. "See to it that she's inhabitable in that time. Or I will make you mine," she hissed.

Thanos nodded. "Yes, My Lady," he murmured, dropping into a bow. But Lady Death had already vanished into thin air.

Thanos raised his eyes to look at Gemma and a cruel smile formed on his twisted face.

"I'm going to destroy you, bitch."

O o o

**Loki**

"Brother? What is the meaning of this?" Thor asked, looking at the inky word on the page.

_H-E-L-P, it's word meaning to assist. _Loki thought sarcastically. He blew a stream of air from his nose in an angry huff and pulled the paper back to him, positioning the pen to write some more.

'_We need to steal the Tesseract and deliver it to Thanos.' _

Thor's jaw dropped open when he read the statement.

"What? No, Loki! That's insane! Thanos? What? Just-"

Loki wrote something else. Thor's eyes scanned the page as he took in Loki's scribbling handwriting.

'_He has Gemma, from your precious SHEILD. If I fail to bring the Tesseract to him she will die and it will be my fault. We have three days.'_

"Gemma Shepherd? Why?"

'_I don't know.'_

"Nay, Loki, tis impossible! You can not take the Tesseract to our enemy!"

'_No, you're right; I'm powerless to do a damned thing. But you, on the other hand; you can do it.'_

Thor frowned. "Nay, tis certain death! If Thanos gets his hands on the Tesseract we shall all be smote!" Thor reasoned, shaking his golden head.

Loki scowled and scribbled his reply.

'_We need a plan then. Help me, Thor, like when we were young. Help me!'_

Thor started into Loki's eyes and for the first time the latter did not draw back into himself. Loki had come to the decision that like it or not, he had no choice other than to trust Thor; he was, after all _dependent _on the guy, bound to his every wish for Odin's sake!

At last Thor nodded slowly.

"I have an idea, Brother."

0 0 0

It was late in the day when the two of them went over their final plans one last time. The two were in Thor's privet chambers, the better for the secrecy of adopting their plan.

"So you distract the guards, cause some old-time mischief while I break into the treasury. I take the Infinity Gauntlet and the Tesseract and then we go, _together,"_ Thor looked severely into Loki's gaunt face, (they'd argued the fact for hours). "I wear the Gauntlet and hide, invisible while you pretend to offer up the Tesseract to Thanos. I sneak up and slay him from behind and we free Gemma!"

Thor looked at Loki for conformation and Loki nodded solemnly, looking waxen in the light of the moon.

"We have a long day ahead of us, brother. It is time for sleep," Thor said after a moment of silence.

Thor was taking a huge risk, but his alliances lay with his family and with SHEILD, and the matter of Gemma was directly related to both. If this was what it took for Loki to feel loved, than so be it, Thor was prepared.

**AN: Hey guys! Thanks for reviewing and reading, as always! **

**I just wanted to say something here. Look, I am trying my hardest to update as fast as I can, and I promise, I am not going to drop this story****. Encouraging me or politely asking me to update is a heck lot more efficient than demanding it. ****I want to make it clear that I am not mad at any of you. I love all of you, you're the best and I am so so so happy that you're reading my story and liking it. And look, I'm updating faster already (:**


	12. Chapter 12

**IMPORTANT PLEASE READ: In regards to the question I received asking who exactly Lady Death is: Lady Death is, to my best understanding without reading the comics, and to the propose of this story, Thanos' superior. He both loves her and fears her. In my story, she is the personification of death and evil. Now, I should tell you about the Infinity Gauntlet too. It is shaped like a glove so that the user can wear it on their hand. Whoever wears it becomes all powerful. The power source to the Gauntlet are six gems. Soul-ablility to steal or manipulate any soul, Time-ablity to manipulate time, time travel, screw with age, create time loops, Space-manipulate space, be in two places at once, move through space, Mind-mind control ect. ect. (pretty much everything Gem can do), Reality-makes wishes come true, and Power (this one is pretty self explanatory). SO I think that's all you need to know. Thanks! Keep reviewing and reading! **

**Just warning you: I leave town tomorrow morning and I *HOPE* i will have wifi. If I don't update for a while, it's not because I abandoned the story. Have faith me in, and cross your fingers that there will be wifi. **

Chapter 12

Family Ties.

**Salntur **

The robed royal advisor stood uncertainly at the base of the throne for Thanos sat. It was an impressive structure; built for the bleached bone of the dead.

"How did I get here?" he demanded, trying to control his fear.

"I brought you," Thanos replied with an evil smile.

Salntur shuddered. "But why?" he asked.

"To request something of you, my loyal and trusted servant."

Salntur dropped to his knees before the throne in a deep bow.

"Of course, my Lord. Anything, my Lord," he murmured, his face coloring and his heart beat slowing down. He'd feared for a moment that Thanos was going to kill him.

Thanos smiled in obvious pleasure at the sight of Salntur kneeling in the dust.

"Make sure that Loki delivers the Tesseract to me. Do _whatever _it takes to ensure he gets to it," Thanos ordered.

Salntur nodded, getting to his feet.

"I shall, master."

"You'd better. You know what I do to those who fail me," Thanos drawled, absentmindedly stroking one of the long white bones of his seat.

Salntur's eyes darted to the bones and he gulped in fear. A sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Yes, my Lord,"

"Do they suspect you?" Thanos asked.

Salntur cringed. "Thor knows. And Borgn, the Punisher. But they have no evidence, and the word of a traitor carries no weight. I heard Odin chastise Thor for bringing it up, but the foolish prince has been watching me closely over the past few days. I must be careful."

"That you must," Thanos agreed, rubbing his gnarled hands. "Go no, and make sure he comes by tomorrow. I don't want Gemma's body to go to waste."

**Gemma**

Laughter. Cruel laughter. Pain. Fire. Blood. Fear. Tears.

Gemma lost track of time.

**Loki**

"Lets go over the plan one more time, alright?" Thor said.

Loki nodded, looking bored. If it'd been up to him, he'd of done the deed by now. As it were, Thor would not agree to rush into things. The old Thor had never been this calculating. Loki found himself thinking it was a good thing Thor had his head on straight. He himself certainly didn't.

The burly blond hand sat across a desk from the slim raven-black haired man. They were in a deserted chamber, lit with one oil lamp, burning in the dark of the night, the better for secrecy.

" You rush into the antechamber and distract the men guarding the Treasury, raise hell, brother. Mischief is what you do best," Thor went on. Loki attempted to smirk but the tightly drawn threads held his lips in a formidable line. "I'll sneak in and take the Gauntlet and the Tesseract."

Loki scribbled something on a blank page and passed it to Thor across the table. Thor held the paper to the light to read it better.

"_I know the rest. Lets hurry and go! Mother Times does not have our backs."_

Thor nodded solemnly. "I shall follow you, Brother."

Loki did not even notice the term. Not this time.

* * *

Loki burst into the antechamber minutes later, skidded on the smooth marble floors and crashed into one of the guards.

"Aye! You!" spat the Aesr, shaking Loki off, and giving him a look of disgust. "Get off me, Traitor!"

Loki scowled. _You'll pay for those words, bitch. _The curse word was something Loki had picked up without realizing it, back on Midgard. It had been something Gemma had liked to say.

He pulled a manila packet out of his pocket and shook a fine substance into his palm. Sleep Dust. Without wasting a moment, Loki blew the dust into the face of the bemused guard. Before the man could shout out, he'd slumped to the floor in a clatter of amour. His head lolled back, a trickle of drool already pulling at the corner of his mouth.

_Sleeping on the job? I'm certain there's a punishment for that._ Loki thought to himself, eternally smirking.

The second guard came around the corner just then, looking alarmed. He'd obviously heard the scuffle. Loki lost no time in blowing the fine powder into his face as well.

"Brother?" Thor hissed, poking his head around the door. He saw the bodies. "They're not… dead, are they?" he asked, looking agitated.

Loki rolled his eyes and shrugged. The look on Thor's face worsened and Loki sighed. He he'd up the half used packet of Sleep Dust and showed it to Thor who relaxed immediately.

"Meet me back in our planning room in ten minutes," Thor whispered as he crept over the bodies. "And hide these men," he added.

Loki nodded and grabbed hold of the boots of the first man, dragging the dead weight off as Thor snuck into the treasury.

Everything was going perfectly, and yet Loki couldn't shake off the thought that something was wrong. Was it just him, or had It been too easy?

**Thor**

Thor's footfalls were heavy, though he tried to be stealthy. There was always a possibility that there would be more guards down here, though Thor was hoping against it. He and Loki had agreed previously that it was very likely. And if that was the case, Thor knew he would have to hurt someone. And he definitely didn't want to do that.

_First the Tesseract, then the Gauntlet. _Thor thought as he crept down the corridors. _Tess. Gaunt. Tess. Gaunt. _

There, at the end off the hall in its glass case stood the glowing blue Tesseract. Thor felt bile rise in his stomach. This wasn't the first time he wondered if he was doing the right thing. But he had too, he owed it to Loki. He owed it to the young mortal girl from SHEILD. He had no choice.

With his broad hands shaking, the prince reached out for the glass, lifting it with ease off of the pulsating blue cube. He drew in a deep breath and lifted the object that had caused so much mutiny into his hands and tucked it under a fold of his cloak, shielding it from view. If anyone saw him now, he'd look inconspicuous.

Stealing a look over his shoulder at the empty case, Thor crept away, heading towards the chamber he knew to hold the Infinity Gauntlet. How long would they have before someone noticed the Tess was missing?

The Gauntlet was more heavily guarded on most occasions, and as Thor entered the room where it was kept, he couldn't help but let the dread rise in his stomach. What had he got himself into? However, once again he met no one. Once again, he found the item effortlessly accessible. Had his heart not been pumping with adrenaline, Thor might have taken a moment to pause and think about how easy it all was. How it was almost too easy…

Heart beating fast and items hidden under his cloak, Thor rushed out of the Treasury with a sheen of sweat on his face.

If Odin ever knew what his sons were up to...

**Jessie **

"Jessie! You're a butt head!"

"Stink head!"

The kids on the playground had been taunting Jessie for as long as he could remember. He thought it was because of how little he was, small compared to the other boys his age. Instead of raising to their bait however, Jessie sulked in a corner of the school yard, squatting down in the sandbox and pretended he couldn't hear their jeering voices.

_If I was like Gemma I could make them all be quiet. _He thought, fuming.

Jessie had thought about Gemma a lot lately. In fact, he hadn't been able to get her out of his head. Not since she'd disappeared from Lemon Street Café weeks before. Carry told Jessie not to worry about Gemma. She said it was for the better that his big sister had gone. But Jessie wasn't so sure. He liked Gemma.

"Jessie wets the bed!"

"Jessie is scared of the dark!"

"Jessie sleeps with his mommy!"

"I heard he sucks his thumb!"

_Shut up shut up shut up! _Jessie thought, chanting the words in his head like a mantra. His parents would scold him if they knew he was thinking those words. _Shut up shut up shut up shut up! _But nothing happened.

Nothing ever happened.


	13. Chapter 13

**IMPORTANT: I uploaded a few chapters to doc manager, but I don't have access to my computer. So for the time being, I will try to update using my phone. It's going to be Really slow, guys i might not update again this week! I apologize. But don't worry, I'm working on some chapters so once I get back home It will be nice and speedy! (:**

Chapter 13

Save Me, My Love

**Gemma**

"Are you ready to give yourself over, little Gem?" a heartless voice spoke directly into Gemma's ear. She felt her skin prick with gooseflesh and panic seep into her very bones.

Gemma did not have to turn her head to know who it was. It was Lady Death, with her dull black eyes and pearly white skin and those sunken cheeks and sharp bones.

Gemma did not have the strength to form the words, but inside she was screaming "Get away from me!"

Lady Death laughed but there was no mirth in the sound, only the soulless hunger.

"Look at me," she ordered.

Defiantly, Gemma turned her head, refusing to oblige.

"Gemma, look at me!" Lady Death repeated, sounding all the more deadly.

Gemma gasped for air as a sudden cold hand grasped her throat. Long fingers forced her neck to swivel around until the dead black eyes bore into her own dying hazel ones.

"You are mine," Lady Death whispered, staring into Gemma's eyes with a hunger for life that chilled Gemma to the core. "You have always been mine."

Gemma drew a deep breath, gathering her courage. When she spoke, her voice was weak and breathy, so quiet that one must have been listening for it or they'd miss it all together.

"I will never be yours."

**Loki **

"Brother, I've got them both!" Thor boomed as he burst into the room where Loki stood alone, pacing restlessly.

Loki's head snapped up and he looked at Thor, his eyes traveling from the man's bearded face to the Gauntlet that Thor already had on his hand.

"We'll use the Space Gem to get to Thanos. Remember the plan? Once we touch down, I'm going invisible. I'll free Gem, all you have to do it distract Thanos long enough. What ever happens, don't give him the Tesseract!" Thor said, striding forward.

He took Loki's upper arm in one hand and clenched down tightly.

"Don't let go, little brother," he added.

Loki nodded curtly, his hairs were rising with agitation at a combination of things: worry for Gem. Fear of Thanos. Hate for himself. And disgust for Thor, the man who insisted they were brothers.

All the sudden, Loki felt his feet lift from the ground violently. He gripped Thor's arm all the tighter and gritted his teeth as the room filled with a blindingly bright white light. Had his eyes been on the doorway and not on Thor's face, he would have seen the lone dark figure that stood under the frame. A man wearing the royally embroidered robes of an Advisor and a satisfied smile.

O o o

Loki and Thor touched down on Thor's barren planet forcefully. Loki felt his knees bend with pressure and he fell to the ground, landing flat on his face. He groaned but could not get to his feet; his cuffed hands prohibited that.

"Here, brother," Thor said kindly, taking the younger man's slight shoulders and lifting him to his feet.

Loki shook Thor off like an unpleasant bug and shrugged away. Thor sighed but didn't say anything.

"Alright, Brother?" has asked.

Loki nodded but he wasn't really paying attention. His mind was elsewhere, planning for Gemma's rescue. Thor caught on.

"I'll give you this then, brother," Thor said, passing the Tesseract to Loki.

In the glow of the blue cube, Thor could see Loki's sunken green eyes widen. Briefly, Thor worried if this were Loki's plan all along; to string him along and trick him into handing over the Tesseract, but Thor pushed the thought from his mind; he had to trust Loki or he wouldn't have anything.

The moment passed and the greed faded from Loki's eyes. Gruffly, he took the Tesseract and nodded gravely.

"Remember, don't let Thanos get this. Draw him to you, brother. I must make haste. I shall return with Gem for you," Thor said. Then, suddenly, he pulled Loki into a hug. The younger man didn't even have time to let the shock register on his face before Thor utilized the Gauntlet and vanished into thin air, leaving a dark-haired mute god standing alone with a bemused expression on his pale features.

After a moment or two, Loki snapped out of it. He tightened his grip on the Tesseract and looked up at the sky. It was dark and starless, empty. Loki suppressed a shudder; he was not scared.

"_Thanos," _he thought. "_I have the cube. Let the mortal go."_

Nothing happened. At first, Loki thought Thanos was ignoring him, or couldn't hear him or had broken the deal. Loki's head spun with different possibilities, each more traumatic than the rest. He felt panic rise in his chest. He'd failed her, loyal Gem.

A twisted hand clamped down on Loki's shoulder, making him jump involuntarily. Loki froze as Thanos' cruel laugh echoed in his ear.

"Oh, Loki! Look at you, scared a rabbit! I would never have thought…" Thanos said with a sneer.

Loki felt the hair on the back of his neck rise but he didn't say anything; he couldn't.

Thanos laughed again and came round to face Loki. The Norse god drew the Tesseract inconspicuously closer to his body, shielding it from Thanos's view, but the Eternal's greedy eyes followed it with lust.

"Ah!" he said with relish. "I see you have carried out your end of the bargain! You stole the cube for me! Excellent!"

_For Gem. _Loki thought icily.

"Hand it here then, Loki and you shall get your reward. What is you want? Ah yes, the mortal!" Thanos was still laughing. "I am afraid we shall have to come to a compromise. I have grown rather… fond of the girl!"

Loki didn't think, he forgot all about the plan and he dropped the Tesseract as he launched himself at Thanos.

Loki had been strong before his sentence, (though not as strong as Thor, of course) but now he was much weaker. Still, he put up a good fight. There was a flurry od fists and legs and Loki did not know whose was whose. He felt a bone break in his own hand from the impact of his fist on Thanos' helmed head. The word was spinning, he had the upper hand one minutes and was "eating shit" the next.

He had just seemed to be winning when Thanos laughed coldly. Before Loki had a chance to react, the heel of Thanos' boot connected with Loki's skull. Everything went black.

**Thor **

"BROTHER!" Thor boomed, rematerializing in thin air with an unconscious figure slumped over his broad shoulder.

He'd arrived just in time to see Thanos knock the living crap out of Loki.

Thanos heard Thor's voice and looked up, smiling. He wiped blood from his broken nose and advanced towards Thor, laughing.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" Thanos asked. "Everything has gone exactly the way I planned!" Thanos' eyes roamed up Gemma's unconscious body.

Thor glowered at the Disgraced one and growled.

"Get back," he demanded.

Thanos did not falter, he just kept coming towards Thor, muttering an incantation as he did so.

Suddenly, a ball of cracking flame formed in the space between Thanos' two hands. In the glow of the fire, Thor's eyes darted from Thanos to the crumpled form of his brother lying on the ground and then to the Tesseract, a good 10 yards away.

The fireball whizzed past Thor, who dodged it easily. He locked his eyes on the Tesseract again. Another fireball came from Thanos, racing at Thor's face. He dropped down into a crouch and the flames missed him, but barely. He tightened his grip on Gemma and brushed off a cinder from his beard. Thor looked at the Tesseract again, then his eyes darted back to Loki. He looked at Thanos once more, and saw the Eternal was preparing another spell, and from the looks of it a big one. Whatever it was that Thanos had planned, it was deadly. Thor swallowed when he realized he only had one chance. He could grab Loki _or_ the Tesseract. He could not take both of them with him; Thanos was too powerful and Thor himself was weighted down by Gemma enough as it were. The Gauntlet could only get him so far against the mere stupidity of Thanos.

Loki or the Tesseract?

If Thor went for Loki, he'd be handing the Cosmic Cube right on over to Thanos. If Thanos got his hands on it, the universe would surely end. And the punishment Thor would face? He shuddered to think… But then again, there was Loki. If he took the Tesseract, Loki would certainly be killed. Thor felt his chest heave with heartache. Could he do it? Could he sacrifice his own brother for the sake of the nine realms? It was what a kind would do.

Suddenly, the black sky was alive with hissing balls of flame, raining down from the heavens. Where they hit the earth, the stone and dirt itself burst into flames. Thor drew a deep breath and burst forward.

Thor took off at a sprint, dodging fireballs when he could. Even when he felt the white-hot embers sting his skin he didn't slow down. He was bearing down on the object of desire, his eyes locked on one thing: the Tesseract.

He was almost upon it when he heard a clanging screech. He looked up and saw that Thanos had completed his spell. A colossal fiery disk obscured the entire sky.

"What are you doing?" Thor bellowed in outrage.

"Does anything get through that thick skull of yours? You're about to die, Thor! You and your brother and they stupid mortal whore!" Thanos hissed.

"You fool!" screamed Thor. "You're going to destroy this entire planet! You'll die too! And destroy the Tesseract!" he added.

Thanos only laughed hysterically and pointed a crooked finger at Loki. It took Thor a moment to figure out what Thanos was doing, but when the latter's finger began to glow with pure, unbound magic, Thor knew. Thanos wasn't going to wait for the fiery disk to fry Loki. That was too fast, too painless. Thanos was going to make Thor watch as he killed Loki, tortured him.

Thor didn't even realize what he was doing. The moment he realized that Thanos was going to kill Loki, he rushed forward, forgetting the Tesseract in an instant. Thanos may have been closer but Thor was faster, even with Gemma on his back. He rushed through the now burning landscape and reached Loki just as Thanos did.

"I said, GET BACK!" Thor screamed, sending a blast of raw energy at Thanos.

He didn't even wait to see the impact before he wrenched Loki's unconscious body up from the burning ground and vanished with his companions into thin air. An instant later, a fireball the size of the sun collided where they'd been standing moments before.

They say when a planet dies, it's ghost reverberates throughout the entire universe and a life forms everywhere mourn and celebrate it's life. This is false myth. No new planet was born from the ashes of Thanos's planet. There was only one being who felt those shock waves, the one who saw all. Heimdall.


	14. Chapter 14

**Uploading this from my phone guys, and honestly it's a lot of**

**Work, so it's going to be a while until the next update but i**

**Promise it will be worth it. I apologize!**

Chapter 14

Red Sky in the Morning

**Gemma**

Pain. Pain so intense that all memories of happier times were washed from existence. Then fear. Something was wrong.

_Help. Help! HELP!_

**Loki **

Back inside the palace of the Realm Internal, Loki; Thor and Gemma landed with a crash inside Prince Thor's private chambers. For a moment, Loki lay stunned, staring at the ceiling. He felt a trickle of blood run down his temple, but he did not wipe it away.

"Loki? Gem?" that was Thor, who was struggling to get to his feet. "How doth thee fair?"

Loki felt Gemma stirring by his side and he immediately sat up to better help her.

Thor rushed to her other side and lifted her into sitting position, where she leaned against Loki.

"We need medics! She's lost a great deal of blood. Gem? Can you hear me?" Thor sounded panicky, but Loki didn't blame him. He could see clearly that Gemma was hurt badly. She did not respond to any of their pleas.

Loki and Thor had not planned this far ahead. They had assumed that Gemma would be okay and they could return her to SHEILD and safety before Odin ever knew of what they had done. But now, it was obvious that they could not send her back to Midgard, not like this, or she would doubtlessly die. What Gemma needed was the best healers of all of the nine realms, and fast.

"Loki! Run and get help. Make haste!" Thor was barking out orders with a mask of stone; he was acting the king.

Loki nodded curtly, though he did not wish to leave Gemma's side. He got to his feet and rushed out of the room. The marble floors slapped against his feet as he ran, traveling the path he'd once known so well. In minutes, he stood before Frigga's chamber door. It was very late; Loki doubted she would be awake. All the same, he needed her help.

He drew in a deep breath through his nose and then knocked twice, wincing when the bruised and broken bones of his hand tapped the golden door.

Silence.

Loki rapped again, louder this time. Now he could hear movement on the other side of the door. After a moment, a groggy eyed Frigga stood before him, looking like she was about to chew out whoever dared disrupt her beauty sleep. However, the moment she saw that it was Loki, her expression softened into one of confusion.

"Loki? What is i-" Loki grabbed her hand, cutting her off. Then he was pulling her, as fast as the two of them could go with Frigga tripping on her gown as she made feeble attempts at protests.

Loki shoved open the door to Thor's chambers and pulled his mother inside, shutting the door behind them.

"Oh my!" Frigga gasped.

She'd seen Gemma, slumped against a wall with Thor kneeling before her, in a pool of blood as he tried to tip a glass of water down the frail girl's throat.

For the first time, Loki got a good look at Gemma. Her usually silky brown hair was matted with blood and knotted into a mess around her head. Nearly every inch of exposed skin was covered in bruises and cuts. Her face was ashen and stark white, her cheeks were sunken and her eyes were closed. For a moment, Loki feared she was dead. Then her chest heaved as she drew in a rattling breath that made him cringe. In fact, the entire scene upset his stomach greatly, and he could feel his head spinning.

Water dribbled down her chin as Thor tried in vain to feed her. The golden-headed prince looked up when he heard Frigga's gasp.

"Mother!" he cried, getting to his feet. "We must send for help! This young mortal… She is dying!"

Frigga's hands fluttered near her heart like two birds.

"Who… What is going on? Boys, what…?" she stuttered, staring at Gemma's battered form.

"Mother, waste no time! Send for the best healers! We shall explain everything to you when that has been done. And don't wake father!" Thor ordered. He drew his mother into a quick hug and then sent her out the door.

"You brought Frigga?" Thor said, looking at Loki once Frigga had left.

Slowly, the younger prince nodded. Thor observed him for a moment, looking at him closely.

"Why?" Thor asked.

Loki shrugged. He'd been wondering the same thing. Why had he rushed to the queen's bedroom at the first sign of trouble, like a little boy running to his mother after a bad dream?

Thor looked over his shoulder back at Gemma, who was still leaning lifelessly against the wall. Loki followed his gaze and saw the MFB cuff lying on a bed stand. The metal collar was stained with her own blood. Thor noticed Loki staring and said with a smile, "I used the Gauntlet to remove it."

The Gauntlet itself sat on the other side of Gemma, discarded the moment it was no longer needed.

"She's going to make it, brother. Fear not for the girl, she is strong willed," Thor assured, patting Loki's shoulder.

Loki brushed Thor off and moved to Gemma's side. He kneeled down when he reached her and slid his arm under her shoulders, supporting her weight. Her neck lolled limply to the side and her head came to a rest on his chest. Gingerly, Loki ran his fingers through her hair, working through the knots.

Thor looked at his feet, feeling as though he was witnessing something entirely too intimate for his eyes to behold. After a moment, he cleared his throat. Loki glared accusatively up at him; obviously upset Thor had interrupted his reunion with the mortal.

"Thanos is dead. The Tesseract is destroyed," Thor said, still looking at his feet.

He glanced up and met Loki's puzzled expression.

"Thanos destroyed his own planet, and everything on it. He was beyond reasoning. I presume something cracked inside him. It was only a matter of time before he did something, anyways. I just got the three of us out of there in the nick of time… It was too late for the Tess."

Loki nodded silently and then went back to taking care of Gemma. He rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes.

"I'll leave you alone then, brother?" Thor said, sounding uncertain with a hint of embarrassment.

Loki didn't reply so Thor picked up the Infinity Gauntlet and silently stole out of the room. The last thing he noticed were Loki's fingers rubbing circles in Gemma's spine. Thor had never seen his brother act so… Human. Not in a very, very long time.

**Thor**

"My Lord," a voice startled Thor the moment he closed the door behind him.

He spun round on his heel to see Heimdall standing before him, dressed in his formal gear. Seeing the Gatekeeper in the palace was such an unexpected twist that for a moment, Thor was at a loss for words.

"Heimdall?" he said, once he'd recovered. "What are you doing here? I thought you've been overseeing the restoration of the Bifrost!"

"Yes, my lord. And I still am," replied the Gatekeeper. "I just came to warn thee: it's not over yet."

Thor stared at Heimdall blankly for a moment before answering.

"How? Thanos is dead! The Tesseract has been destroyed!" Thor voice had taken a frantic edge and his eyes were wide.

"That is true, my lord, but be weary of the Lady," with those words Heimdall turned and began walking briskly down the corridor.

Thor watched him go, feeling stunned before jogging to catch back up.

"What? What Lady? And what does any of this half to do with Gem?" Thor asked.

"I am sorry, my lord, but I must return to my duties," Heimdall said curtly, exiting the palace.

Thor stood on the threshold, pondering Heimdall's cryptic words like a fester wound.

_I think the mortals have a phrase for this: shit just hit the fan. _

Thor had just determined to follow Heimdall until he got a clear answer, when the doors banged right back open and the prince was nearly bowled over by a group of six or so men and women, all dressed in the attire of royal healers.

"Oh my!" a young lady said, steadying herself seconds before she crashed into Thor.

The others behind her dropped into low bows, muttering their apologies for rampaging through the palace like a herd of fools.

Thor smiled kindly in response and ordered them back to their feet.

"The good queen must have sent for you," he said. "The girl is in my chambers, down this hall and take the first left, go up the stair case and take the second right. My brother will let you in when you knock. I thank you kindly," Thor said.

"Thank you, my lord. We hope we will be of assistance," one of the healers said. Thor noticed the man's face had paled considerably though, at the mention of Loki.

The troupe of healers had just turned around the corner when the door burst open again, this time clipping Thor in the shoulder. He cursed and jumped back, rubbing the spot where the door hit him.

A slender man wearing the torn robes of a peasant with a red beard stood in the doorway.

"Where's the girl?" the intruder demanded.

As he spoke, Thor noticed two woman standing just outside, peering through the doorway into the palace anxiously. Thor felt his face redden and he had to remind himself to be of hospitable mind.

"State your name and intention, good sir," Thor said.

"Lermes of Vanaheim, sir. And these here," Lermes pulled the woman into the palace. "These is my wife," he pushed the older of the two forward. "And me daughter," he nodded at a slim blonde girl who looked shyly up at Thor from under long eyelashes. "We is here because had a dream, sir! For I is a great Seerer, I is," Lermes puffed out his chest proudly. "And I knew there is a mortal girl here needin' some assistance! Not that it's any business of yers!"

This time the young woman spoke up.

"Pa!" she scolded, looking scandalized. "That is Prince Thor, that is!" she said in a hushed voice that she thought Thor wouldn't be able to hear.

Lermes' face paled and his wife whimpered and hid her face in her hands.

Thor looked on, puzzled and bewildered.

"I am sorry, My Lord," the young woman said, dropping into a curtsy. "My name is Wildr. My mother and I have come to offer our assistance in healing the girl from Midgard. " she explained. "Please do not punish us for my father's ignorance. He did not know you were the prince!"

Thor nodded slightly and said, "You're healers then?"

"Yes, My Lord," Wildr confirmed. "Very good ones too! We helped your brother, the Prince Loki only a few days ago. He would have died if we hadn't patched him up, My Lord!"

"In that case, it appears I owe you the greatest thanks!" Thor said, smiling. "Please, come in." he ushered the family onto the threshold and closed the door behind them.

The three peasants stood inside the palace with wide eyes, taking in everything: the gold and the marble and the velvets, it was all more riches then any of them had ever seen.

"My Lord," said Lermes' wife, dropping low to the ground. "My name is Astair, your humble servant. Please, allow us to assist the girl in any way we can!" she pleaded.

Thor scratched his chin absently, deep in thought.

"Moment before your arrival, six of the finest healers in the realms reached the palace. It seems as though we shall not be needing your assistance. But please, join us for a meal, our family is forever in your debt for saving the life of my broth-"

Lermes held up his hands and waved them wildly.

"Now, now! Look here, Prince Thor!" he began, getting very red in the face.

"Pa!" chided Wildr, reaching out for her father's hand.

"Quiet, child!" he snapped, shaking her off. "We is certainly very pleased by yer honorable hospitality, I can assure ye! And I mean no disrespect, me Lord, but look here! I received a vision and in that vision me wife an' me daughter tended to the girl! Now, I am not about to forsake my Sight! What has been foretold must come to pass! Please, me Lord, let us see the girl."

Thor sighed. He had half a mind to throw the ruffians out the door but Heimdall's warning still sat upon his chest like a weight.

"Right this way, then, my friends."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Dance With Death

**Loki**

Loki had stayed by Gemma's side as long as he could before the healers shushed him away. He now sat in a corner of the room, brooding by Frigga's side. His mother was pale faced and her hair disheveled. She had attempted to pry from Loki the facts of that night but he chose to ignore her questions. Still, she persisted.

"Loki, my son," she started up again, gazing at him with such intensity that Loki had to look away. "Please tell me what happened! Why is this Midgardian here?" she pleaded and pushed a slip of parchment and a pen towards him.

Loki clenched his jaw but he opened his fists and took the pen and paper. Then, sighing deeply he began to write.

"_Her name is Gemma Shepherd. She is of SHEILD. I met her while I was on earth," _Loki paused and watched the queen's eyes as she read what he'd written so far. She nodded, her mouth tight, for him to go on. _"Thanos and his thugs captured her and tortured her," _Loki noticed that he was pressing into the parchment too heavily and it was starting to tear. He lightened his grip on the pen. "_To punish me for loosing the Tesseract," _

"Then, you were under Thanos' orders to steal it from Midgard?" Frigga asked breathlessly.

"_Aye. But at the time I thought it was the Chituari who wanted it. They were his servants all along. I know not why he wanted it, but I knew that if he obtained it, the world would end," _he wrote.

Frigga gripped his shoulders in a grasp that was surprisingly strong for such a frail looking queen. Loki felt the urge to shrug her off, but he didn't. Instead, he let himself be engulfed by the smell of her perfume and the softness of her hair. It had been a long time since Loki felt like he had a family.

Eventually, he did shake her off, but only so that he could continue his story.

"_Thor and I stole the Tesseract and brought it to Thanos in exchange for Gemma," _Loki wrote with shaking fingers. "_We did not intend to actually give it to him, and receive it he did not. However, both Thanos and the Tesseract have been destroyed." _

To his surprise, Frigga did not lash out in sudden fury. Instead, she looked at Loki very seriously and said, "I am so proud of you boys, you did the right thing. Look at this girl! You saved her life."

Loki nodded solemnly and then wrote, _"Lord Salntur was working with Thanos. And he had two consorts as well. Thor thinks he will be able to track them down." _

Loki had expected Frigga to look at him with disbelief, but once again she surprised him with her trust,

"I never liked Salntur, I should have know there was something up with him! He will be punished," she assured.

Right then the door opened up once more and Thor entered, followed by three familiar faces. Loki recognized the trio at once. It was Lermes the farmer, his wife and young daughter.

"Mother," Thor said, bowing. "Might I present these two fine women to Gem? They are the same healers who saved Loki after he was mugged by those men!"

Frigga got to her feet and crossed over the room. Loki watched as she wringed the women's hands and thanked them for coming. The other healers looked sullen at the thought of two peasant women joining in their ranks, but Frigga's wishes they would not disobey.

A moment later, Lermes crossed the room and pulled up a chair, taking his seat across from Loki.

"'Ello, Me Lord," Lermes said, grinning from ear to ear. "I guess ye really was thee Prince! I apologize for me disbelief."

Loki rolled his eyes and resumed to peer past Lermes to better see what progress was being made with Gemma.

"Aye, look here!" Lermes said a second later.

Loki growled and tried to appear as formidable as possible when he turned his gaze back to Lermes. However, the farmer did not seem to fear him in the least.

"That there mortal girl, she's in trouble, Me Lord, Tis why we is here, I had a vision, I did!" Lermes boasted.

Loki felt an icy chill creep into his chest. He reached for a piece of parchment and scribbled the words, _"What do you mean? How could Gem be in trouble?"_

Lermes read Loki's writing and then shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well I don't know yet, do I? Me wife and daughter are going to figure it out though, if we can," he said.

Loki suddenly felt like he could no longer sit still. He pushed his chair back and got to his feet. Loki had never been one for pacing, but for the hours following, he worked his tread through the carpet, wearing it with his worry.

The sun was high in the sky when Gemma opened her eyes at last. Her hazel orbs met his brilliant green ones.

"Loki?" she said.

**Gemma**

_Run! Run! Why aren't you listening to me? RUN!_

**Salntur**

Salntur was jerked from his sleep unpleasantly by two pairs of gruff hands. His eyes snapped open in shock. It was the royal guards.

"You're coming with us, Traitor," one said.

They had caught him.

"Not so fast!" he cried, attempting to break free. "You dirty low lives, get down here!" he screamed.

"He takin' to us?" said one guard to the other.

"Naw, he was talkin' to us," a voice replied. But it was not the other guard.

The voice came from a bearded, brawny man who had just entered the room, accompanied by his rat like accomplice.

"Back away from our boss," said the rat-like man.

Both of the guards drew their swords, but it was too late. Really, all it took was one short step across the room for Brawn and Rodent to snap the puny necks of the two guards.

When they bodies had been disposed of, Salntur turned to face his men.

"Thanos is dead," he informed them. "We serve the Lady now."

"Aye, sir," said the men.

Salntur dusted himself pompously before speaking again.

"I must flee the Realm Eternal. They know of my betrayal. As for the two of you, I order you to stay here. Watch the Lady and tend to her every needs. Guard her. You know how to reach me, should it be needed."

"Aye, sir," said the men one more.

"Well, make haste then! Get my things in order. And I'll be needing a horse!" Salntur demanded, turning on his heel and marching away.

O o o

**Jessie**

"Jess! Hurry up, it's time to go," Mark was calling from the garage.

Jessie ignored his father. He sat on his bed with the covers pulled up around his head, his hands clamped over his ears and tears running down his face.

Earlier that week, some one had died. Jessie didn't know the guy, but Mark and Carry cried all day long after they heard the news. Cancer. He shouldn't have been smoking. Today they were going to put him in the ground. Jessie didn't want to go, he was scared. He heard his parents talking. They thought Gem was dead. Did someone put her in the ground too?

"JESSIE!" Mark yelled again.

_Leave me alone. Leave me alone. LEAVE ME ALONE. _Jessie thought over and over in his head, repeating it like a mantra. However hard he tried though, Jessie couldn't make his parents leave him alone. He was not special, like Gem. He was ordinary. He was a thumb sucker. He was a butt head. He slept with his light on and he wet his pants. The boys at school were right. Jessie was a looser.

**Lady Death**

Everything was going according to plan. This was good, very good. In the horizon of her vision, Lady Death could sense it: she was close. Soon, all the power in the world would be in her hands, and nobody would be able to stop her.

Of course, there was the small matter of Prince Loki. The fool would pay for making her wait. That was inevitable. Lady Death treasured pain more than any other feeling. Her hands were itching to squeeze the life out of his pale throat, to see the emerald light leave his eyes.

Lady Death had the ultimate weapon against the puny god: her body. Or should we say; Gemma's body…


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Fragile

**Loki**

"My Lord," the young healer, Wildr curtsied when she entered Loki's chambers.

Her face was pale and her eyes were wide and flecked with uncertainty.

"We have finished our tests on Gemma," she began, her voice shaking.

Loki tensed up. He did not wish to speak of the tests that had been run on Gem. All he knew was that he was angry. Gemma had awoken. He'd heard her speak his name and then they silenced her. Wildr and her mother had sent them all out of the room, even he, a prince! Thor later explained to him that Gemma could be in danger yet, and the two healers were only trying to help her. Still, Loki only wished to see his gem.

"I am sorry, My Lord," she said.

Loki, who had been sitting with his head in his hands at his desk leapt to his feet at those words. When the status of health of one's lover is preluded by 'I am sorry', it is never good news.

Loki made towards the girl, fire dancing in his eyes. She scuttled back with her hands in front of her face, whimpering.

"Brother!"

The door swung inward and Thor bond into the room, looking furious.

"You must not hurt Wildr! She is our guest!" he admonished, forcing Loki back into his seat. "Really now! You must listen to what she has to say, brother."

Then Thor crossed the room and lifted Wildr up straight, grasping her gently up the shoulders.

"Tis well, lady. My brother shalt not harm thee. Continue with your speech, my lady," Thor said softly into her ear.

Wildr nodded and then looked fleetingly at Loki. He did not seem angry now. Rather, he looked beaten and lost. She looked away and rested her gaze on her own hands.

"There is something wrong with the mortal," she said at last. "Tis like nothing we have ever seen before, My Lord."

Loki didn't move, he remained sitting with his face a pale stony mask.

"There is nothing more that we can do, but you must not loose hope! There is a chance that she will recover to her normal state…"

Loki looked up and met Wildr's fleeting gaze with his smoldering one. He seemed to be struggling to speak, but of course, he could not. Thor caught his eye and some unspoken understanding was passed though that gaze.

"What is wrong with her, Wildr?" Thor spoke for Loki.

Wildr swallowed hard and closed her eyes as if she was trying to block out some terrible memory.

"You would not believe me if I told you," she said.

"Try me," Thor said gruffly. He had learned to believe many things in the past months. Like little plastic devices called "phones" that enabled mortals to speak to each other from far away without means of magic. He was sure he could take whatever it was that Wildr was too scared to utter.

"The mortal-Gemma, she isn't… She's not… She is gone… Or at least she's very weak. There is something else there. Something dark," Wildr said at last.

Loki drew in a sharp breath and Thor's trained eyes were able to pick up on the shimmering he saw in Loki's green orbs. The raven-haired god was tearing up.

"What do you mean?" Thor asked.

"Her soul, it's missing," Wildr breathed. Her voice was so quiet that it would have been easy to miss unless one was listening well. Unfortunately for Loki, he had been listening very well indeed.

Loki got to his feet in a rush and had stormed out the door so quickly that Wildr and Thor could only balk at the empty air where he'd been.

O o o

"My Lord, we have been asked not to let anyon-" the guard's feeble attempts to keep Loki from the medical bay were shoved aside as he pushed past them into the room where Gemma was being kept.

He found her sitting upright on her bed, eyes closed and breathing level. He hurried to her side and dropped down onto his knees, taking her hands in his own.

"_Gem, can you hear me?" _he thought.

She opened her eyes and met his gaze, smiling softly.

"Loki!" she gasped, gripping his arm.

Loki felt as though a weight had been lifted from his chest. He let out the breath he'd been holding in. Wildr and the other healers had been wrong: there was nothing wrong with Gemma!

"_Gem! I thought you- I am- I was so worried that I'd lost you!"_

_"_Oh, but you have!" Gemma replied, her smile widening.

Loki frowned in confusion.

"_I do not understand." _

In response, Gemma closed her eyes. When they opened again, they were not the glittery, hazel jewels he'd come to love. No, her eyes were hollow black pits. Her eyes were death. Slowly, a wide smile spread on Gemma lips, splitting her face into a ghastly smile.

"Good evening, Prince Loki," said Gemma in a voice that was wholly unto her.

"_Who are you?" _Loki's thoughts were as menacing as he could manage, what with the lump of fear that had settled on his chest, crushing whatever tenderness that had ever manifested there.

Gemma smirked and leaned in so that the tip of her nose brushed Loki's.

"Don't you have any idea?" she whispered.

Loki jerked back and pulled his hands free of hers. Lady Death.

"_Just get out. Get out of her!" _

"Hmm…" she mused, her teeth glinting. "I don't think so, sweetie. I _like _it in here!" She replied, rubbing her hands down the soft expanse of Gemma's body in a way that would have driven Loki mad with lust in an entirely different circumstance. Instead, the prince felt his stomach churn and his blood boil with rage.

Loki scrambled to his feet, resisting the urge to throttle her. _Gemma's in there somewhere. If I hurt her vessel I'll hurt her. _He told himself.

"_LEAVE!" _he screamed in his mind, as his vision narrowed down into pinpoints around Gemma's face.

"But I've only just arrived! And we are going to have so much fun!" she said gleefully. "Don't you love me? don't you _want _me?"

With those words, Lady Death peeled the bodice of Gemma's gown down, exposing the pale flesh that Loki had once coveted. Now, the sight made him feel sick. He didn't waste another moment before backing towards the exit, his hands shaking with suppressed emotion.

When he reached the door, Loki started at the girl for a long time. Her wavy brown hair had been cut short because after the time spent with Thanos it had been damaged beyond repair. Her cheeks where pale and sunken and her skin was still molted with purple and yellow bruises. She stared back at him, eyes eyes cold and dead, as she tempted him with a borrowed body.

Loki tore his eyes away and let the door slam behind him. _That_ was not Gemma.

O o o

Loki got no sleep that night. Instead, he's confined himself to the library, reading up on any and all material he could get on what was happening to Gemma. There was almost nothing in the library for whatever it was, it obviously contained very dark magic; something that the Aesir forbade.

Had Loki still been in possession of his own dark magic books, he might have been able to do some more research. However, after he'd fallen from the Bifrost Bridge, Odin had burned his collection, curse the old fool.

After fruitless hours spend reading by candle light, sometimes alone and other times with Thor to keep him company, Loki found a passage in a seemingly dry volume of _Combating the Wicked: A Guide for the Sure-Hearted. _

He slid the book over to Thor and jabbed at it with his forefinger, pointing to the line.

" "_Sometimes, when a Hel-Spirit is particularly strong, it may inhabit the skin of a living body. This is very rare and almost unheard of in most realms. However, Midgardians are particularly habitable to such entities, and it is a more common case found on Earth. Unfortunately, a cure has yet to be discovered,"_

Thor frowned and reread the page, the furrows on his brow deepening.

"If this is really what ails Gem, we must find out how to stop it. There must be a way, I _know __it._ I just… I wonder who it is that's possessing her?" Thor spoke quietly but gravely.

In response, Loki pulled a book bound in leather from the top of a stack and flipped to a page before handing it across the table to Thor.

"_And she shall be ruler of Hel and of Hell and of the souls and of the fires of purgatory. She shall clothe herself in the darkness of time and she shall never die, for she is death… The Lady Death whose only motivation is to turn the universe into her graveyard so that she may rule…. She seeks a vessel, one who is broken on the inside, one who is powerful but ruined. She seeks the body of one who can get her what she wants, one who can inflict pain and terror and death."_

Thor suppressed a shudder when he'd finished reading the passage and slid the book back across to Loki.

"Gem is possessed by Lady Death?" he asked.

Solemnly, Loki nodded.

"Then we have to stop her. At any cost."


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi and thank you all for the support. Getting a nice review always makes my day, I mean it (: **

**I should update again in a day or two. **

**Thanks!**

Chapter 17

Saving the Moon

**Loki**

In the rising dawn of a lonely morning, two cloaked figures stand outside the window to a particular room of the Asgardian palace. One stands stiffly, patiently. The other paces back and forth with an air of great displeasure. His hair is black as night, a sharp contrast against the paleness of his cheeks and the brilliant green of his cat-like eyes. Prince Loki looks even more feline as he prowls in the semi-darkness, silent as a mountain lion. His brother watches him solemnly but with sympathy. His eyes betray his true emotion, however. Fear.

The moment is shattered when a third figure steps from the shadows. A lithe young woman, dressed in the grey drab of a peasant. She carries a heavy bundle under one arm, and her expression is the same as Thor's all though magnified by the tremble of her hands and the wideness of her light blue eyes.

"Wildr, come quick! You've got the Gauntlet?" Thor whispered when she reached them.

Loki stopped his pacing and threw the girl a withering look, which she deflected by turning to face Thor.

"Aye, my lord," she said, dropping into a bow.

"My lady, I will have none of that formal stuff. You are among friends!" Thor admonished, though he was grinning.

A blush spread down the young woman's neck as she passed the bundle to Thor.

"We must not waste any time, the All-Father returns from his mission with the rising of the sun. We must complete the task before he hears what has passed," Thor advised.

With that, the blonde prince stowed the gauntlet inside his robes for safekeeping.

What they were about to do was dangerous, and probably impossible. However, it had been Thor's idea to use the Soul Gem of the Gauntlet to pull Lady Death out of Gemma and to expel her back to Hel, where she belonged.

Of course, nothing would be that easy and they weren't expecting it do. Lady Death was strong, stronger than they could even imagine. Currently, she had been placed under maximum security, but Loki and Thor both new that she could escape if she wanted to. She was waiting for something, and it was time to but an end to it.

Silently, Thor lifted Wildr through the window of the chamber where Lady Death was being held. He followed suite. Loki was the last to enter.

"This way," hissed Thor, gesturing down a dark hallway.

Loki nodded and took the lead, walking with his shoulders straight and his eyes blazing for revenge.

In the semi darkness, Wildr's hand found Thor's and held tight. He wasn't the only one scared that night.

Loki reached the end of the hall, where he paused at a great oak door. Quiet sounds could be heard from the other side. Lady Death was already awake: they had missed their advantage. Nonetheless, they had to press on.

Thor pulled the Gauntlet from his robes. He could feel Loki's eyes on his face, glowering. It was well understood that Loki wanted to be the one to use the Soul Gem, but it was also unspoken obvious that Thor's faith in Loki was far from fully restored, and why should it be?

In silence, Thor held up three fingers of one hand, catching the attention of his companions as he counted down. _3…2….1!_

With a thunderous crash, the door was torn clean off its hinges, knocking the two princes and the young healer to their feet. Lady Death stood under the doorframe with a gloating smirk on her face. Her short-cropped hair was alive with electricity, it swayed around her face as if there was a strong wind behind her. A poisonous looking black mists enveloped her arms up to her bony elbows, it was some sort of dark magic that not even Loki had ever seen before.

"LADY DEATH, YOU MAY BE FULL OF PRIDE FOR THIS MOMENT BUT-" Thor's bellow was cut off by a jolt of magic that struck him between the brows, knocking him unconscious.

Wildr scrambled to her feet and rushed to Thor's side, pressing her healer's palm to his forehead and chanting franticly.

"None of that!" snapped Lady Death, flicking her wrist.

Wildr crumpled in a heap atop of Thor. Now only Loki was left, staring down his enemy with hatred in his eyes. When he looked at her, he saw not only the evil darkness of Lady Death, but he saw the fierce, compassionate girl that he loved and yearned for.

"_You outrageous slut," _

Slowly, Loki got to his feet. _"Leave Gem or I will make you_."

"Oh, Loki! My dear, how sweet is that? You _love _her, don't you?" Lady Death drawled, idly playing with a bolt of dark magic that sat in the palm of her hand. "It would be such a shame if she were to be hurt, wouldn't it?" she said, grinning. "Yes, such a shame! If I were you, I'd be scared to make such threats, boy! Or else, she _will _be hurt."

Loki lurched forward at those words, surprising Lady Death. In her shock, she sent the bolt of magic forward, where it rushed forward, spitting sparks, and collided a moment later with the empty space where Loki's head had just been- it was a feint.

Smirking, Loki stood up from where he crouched at Thor's side; holding the Gauntlet.

"Don't you dare," began Lady Death, her dead eyes widening.

Loki slipped it over his arm and immediately the cuffs around his wrist brock and fell to the ground with a clatter. At the same time, the golden thread of the stiches that bond his mouth together fell away. He was free.

"Loki, no!"

That was Thor, who'd awoken just in time to see his brother put on the Gauntlet. Stumbling to his feet, Thor made a grab for it.

Loki swiveled around and flicked his wrist, sending Thor crashing back into the wall behind him and pinning him there.

"Thor, you must trust me!" Loki yelled.

"To what propose? Why should I?" grunted Thor, struggling against the invisible bonds that held him to the wall.

There was a silence before Loki spoke again.

"Because we are brothers," he answered.

Thor's eyes met Loki's and he nodded gravely. Loki nodded back and released his hold on his brother.

Thor dropped to the ground and rushed to Wildr's side. The girl was stirring back into consciousness. However, Loki could no longer observe the doings of his comrades. Lady Death was advancing upon him and he knew it was time to fight back and liberate Gemma.

Locking his eyes on the dead ones of Lady Death, Loki readied the gauntlet for his attack. Energy cracked in the palms of his hands, and a fierce wind blew from all sides if him, causing his clothing to whip about.

"See you in Hel, bitch," he said.

But at that moment, a resounding crash was heard throughout the entire palace, and Loki, Thor and Wildr were knocked back to their feet. Lady Death had created a diversion, and it was in those seconds that she made her escape.

A moment later Loki and Wildr had jumped back to their feet, and looked quickly around for their enemy.

"She can't have gone far!" shouted Wildr, who took off in a sprint down the hall.

Loki was about to take off after her when he noticed that Thor was still on his back, laying stunned and staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Thor, come!" he barked, his voice still gruff from not being used in so long.

Thor shook his head to clear his thoughts and he began to get to his feet, when suddenly, Loki was standing directly before him, his arm outstretched. It took Thor a moment before he realized what was happening: his brother was offering to help. Thor grinned and accepted Loki's hand, and the latter heaved him back to his feet.

At that moment, a terrified scream that echoed through the entire palace broke the silence.

In response, Thor took off running, Loki on his heels.

O o o

The two princes burst into the great hall at the exact moment as the marble doors swung inward and Odin the All-Father strode in, accompanied by Hiemdall and Lermes.

Lady Death stood in the center of the room. Two forms hovered in the air, high above their heads. One of the forms was Wildr. The other was unmistakably Frigga, and it was she who'd screamed.

Lady Death smiled and snapped her fingers, locking the doors and sealing everyone inside.

"I assume you are all wondering why I brought you here," she said, smirking.

Odin's eyes traveled from Lady Death to his wife and the healer girl hovering in the air, to Thor and last of all to Loki, who wore the Gauntlet.

"That's me babe!" screamed Lermes, pointing with a shaking finger to Wildr's figure.

"Silence!" ordered Lady Death. She snapped her fingers once more and Odin, Lermes, Hiemdall and Thor were lifted off their feet and levitated to join Frigga and Wildr.

Only Loki remained on his feet, rooted down with the power of the Gauntlet. He stared her down defiantly, and under the eyes of the All-Father, he spoke.

"You have something I want, Lady Death. Those are my friends, and my family. And that," Loki pointed directly at Lady Death herself, "Is Gemma, the girl I love." Loki took a step forward. "Your time is up."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Such Great Heights

**Thor**

Thor, suspended by invisible ropes some twenty feet in the air, right below the intricately carved ceiling of the great hall, watched the scene unravel from above. He watched, his mouth gaping with words he wished to speak, but was refrained from by the dark magic.

He saw a brilliant blast of emerald lights spring from the palm of Loki's free hand, and a golden stream of fire from his Gauntleted hand both hit Lady Death square in the chest. He saw the pained expression on Loki's face and knew the young prince hated to harm Lady Death, when her body was so precious to him.

A black fog swirled around Lady Death's feet, instantly poisoning the very air. Thor coughed and saw Loki clap a hand over his mouth and nose. Just when Thor's head began to get dizzy, as he felt himself passing out, the smoke cleared. A giant green serpent had wrapped its glimmering coils tight around Lady Death's sides, crushing the air from her lungs.

"Stop. That's enough," Loki barked. He snapped his fingers and the snake vanished.

At once, Lady Death dropped to the ground, where she lay, breathing shallowly. She appeared to be unconscious. Thor grinned, and looking around, he could see that even Wildr was smiling, having awoken to see Loki's victory.

Loki smirked and stepped over Lady Death's body, readying the Gauntlet to pull the tainted soul from Gemma's body.

Right then, an invisible blast threw Loki back, pinning him against the wall. The Gauntlet flew off his hand and landed perfectly at Lady Death's feet.

A cruel laugh sounded from her as Lady Death stood up and took the Gauntlet in her hands.

It was over. It was all over.

"You fool! You're mine! You are all mine!" she screeched, sweat dripping down her brow.

Lady Death pointed at Thor and the others and they all dropped slowly to the ground, where they joined the defeated Loki.

It had been a trap. They were all powerless to do anything now. Lady Death held the Gauntlet. The throne was in her reach. It was over.

"Kneel before me," she demanded.

Thor's mind flickered back to when those words had come from Loki's mouth. That time seemed so long ago, but in reality it hadn't been long at all.

"Never," spat Loki. "Will I grovel before one so corrupt and loathed as thee!"

Lady Death laughed and flicked her wrist. Thor suddenly felt his knees buckle and his body bend towards the ground, as if by some invisible giant was pushing him down. He grunted and fought back, but it was no use. Moments later, everyone kneeled before Lady Death.

Everyone but Loki.

Loki's face shone with sweat, and his teeth were bared, eyes bulging. But he resisted in a way that the others could not. Sparks of magic danced around his body, glowing with unbound power.

"Asatru! Asatru!"

**Loki**

"Asatru! Asatru!" Frigga was chanting, her eyes locked with Loki's.

"Asatru! Asatru!" Thor took up the chant, as did Lermes and Wildr and Heimdal.

"Asatru! Asatru!" Odin joined in as well, much to Loki's disbelief.

_Asatru, meaning faith in the Aesir. _

Loki's labored breath grew stronger. He knew what this meant. It meant faith had been restored. It meant he wore the prestige of an Aesir. It meant the Jotun skin upon his back meant nothing. It meant Loki had a family.

With one last grunt, Loki broke free of Lady Death's spell, the chanting of his friends and family echoing in his ears. He advanced on Lady Death then, powers pooling with the strength of all the elements.

"Stand down!" he growled, snapping his fingers.

Lady Death didn't eve have time to react. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened but it was too late. Loki was upon her now, looking more lethal than a jaguar.

A bolt of power whipped through the air and struck Lady Death, knocking her down. A second bolt hit her in the heart, knocking her unconscious.

At once, Thor and the others felt themselves freed. They got to their feet and dusted themselves off.

"Gem!" Loki panted, falling in at her side.

He slipped the Gauntlet off her arm and readjusted it over his own hand.

"Let me do that, son," Odin spoke suddenly from behind him.

"I shall do it, Allfather. Or do you not trust me?" Loki said, speaking with a sneer on his lips.

"Father, let my brother do it," Thor said, coming up from behind and crouching down on the floor beside Loki. "I trust you, Bother."

Loki didn't say anything but he briefly met Thor's eyes gratefully when he felt Odin back off in silence.

Loki drew a deep breath and then he reached out with the Gauntlet, lightly touching the center of Gemma's forehead.

In popular Midgardian lore, the soul is said to reside in the heart. That is wrong. The soul lives inside the very bones of each human. It lives in the air they breathe and in the things they touch.

As for Lady Death's soul?

Loki gritted his teeth as a black orb, oozing the stickiness of evil, dripped out from between Gemma's lips, where it hung in the air above her head like some sick _thing. _

"To Hel with thee," muttered Loki with intent, though his eyes never left Gemma's face.

The dark orb danced in the air before Loki's face with spite, before he pawed it away with a lazy wave of his hand, and it vanished in a puff of putrid smoke.

Thor clapped his brother's back and whooped, before he realized he was the only one celebrating. Gemma was lying still as a statue.

Everyone in that room seemed to be holding their breath at that moment. Thor's hand rested comfortingly on Loki's shoulders. Wildr leaned into her father, her eyes closed and her mouth parted slightly. Frigga conferred with Odin in a low voice, filling him in on all that he'd missed since he'd been gone.

Heimdal stood stock still, staring off into the distance at something only he could see. "She comes," he said in a low voice.

Not a moment later, Gemma's hazel eyes snapped open and she gasped for air. She was alive.

"Gem," Loki said breathlessly, quickly helping her into sitting position.

She stared at him blankly for a moment and then her expression cleared up and she broke into a smile. At once, it was as though Gemma and Loki were the only two in the world, and they were the only thing that mattered.

With everyone watching on, Loki leaned in and kissed her full on the mouth.

**Gemma**

Gemma did not know how much time had passed, but it seemed like she had only blinked and when she opened her eyes once more she was lying in a soft bed. Loki's gleaming eyes watched her as she rolled over in bed, yawing.

"You've awoken," he stated simply.

"Where… What happened?" she asked, sitting up.

Loki gingerly sat down on the edge of her bed, providing a shoulder for her to lean against.

"You were possessed by Lady Death. Do you not remember?" he asked.

"I remember. I remember it all!" she said, frowning. "But where is she?"

"I banished her spirit to Hel. Where she belongs."

Gemma grinned up at him suddenly. "So, you saved the nine realms. I think that rather makes up for how you lied to me and nearly destroyed my planet," she said, only half joking.

"I am sorry," he began, frowning.

"Shut up, you! You saved my life, that means more to me than an apology. Looks like I owe you one! You know, when I'm not being trapped by an evil spirit, I _am _rather capable of fending for myself," Gemma said, smiling.

"I believe you, Gem. Lady Death would not have chosen you unless she thought you were very powerful. Next time, I'll be the damsel in distress and you can save me," he joked.

Gemma laughed and looked around the room. Her eyes lighted on the Gauntlet, which sat casually on a bedside table.

"Why is _that _still here?" she asked.

"The Allfather is still deciding what to do with it. And how to punish my brother and I." said Loki sullenly.

"How to punish you?!" cried Gemma, outraged. "But you just saved his ungrateful ass!"

"We also broke many laws, Gem."

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in, Thor," said Loki idly, without looking up.

Gemma briefly wondered how Loki knew it was Thor, but then she remembered he was a highly skilled sorcerer. She'd seen the damage he could do from Lady Death's eyes. Or rather, her own eyes…

The door swung inward and Thor strode in. At his side was a girl who couldn't have been much older than Gemma herself, only this girl was inexplicably not _human. _

"GEMMA! HOW DOTH THEE FAIR!" cried Thor, his eyes lighting up when he saw her.

Gemma grinned and replied, "Loads better, actually! I feel good as knew!"

"That's thanks to Wildr here," Thor explained, lightly socking the girl in the arm. "She's proved to be one of the best healers in the nine realms! We've only just hired her on the royal staff!"

"Hey, I'm Gem," Gemma said, nodding at the girl.

Wildr smiled shyly and ducked her head.

"Why are you here?" Loki asked, and Gemma could just detect a slight bitterness in his voice.

"News, brother!" Thor said cheerfully. "Salntur and his men have all been caught and… dealt with. Their punishment was death," Thor said. Grimacing a little. "Also, to inform thee, brother. Our trial begins at sundown. We have only an hour, I presume, before we must meet in the justice hall to face our punishments."

"I can't believe this! The two of you saved us all! How can he want to punish you?" said Gemma, scowling.

"Tis the law, Gem. But fear not, while we are gone, Wildr here will keep you company," Thor said. "Loki, I am sorry, but I think we must go now to prepare our defenses. The honorable Gem is in good hands with Wildr."

Loki scowled but he did not argue. He kissed Gemma lightly on one hand and then left the room with Thor without another word.

"Worry not, I have a feeling they will be okay," said Wildr. "And until the trial ends, all we can do is wait."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

It's a Long Road

**Gemma**

"How are you feeling, Miss?" Wildr asked, some time later.

Gemma sighed and collapsed on the bed, where she stared blankly up at the ceiling.

"Like shit. I feel like shit," Gemma replied. "You can't even imagine what it was like. Everything Thanos did to me. Everything Lady Death made me do. For weeks all I knew was pain."

Wildr came forward and kneeled down at the foot of Gemma's bed.

"I thought as much. I can always tell when someone is lying. Why did you tell their royal highnesses that you were feeling well?" she asked.

Gemma didn't answer right away, she seemed to be trying to choke back a sob, but eventually she rolled over so that she was facing Wildr and spoke.

"Because I was tired of playing the damsel in distress, Wildr. I am stronger than that and both Thor and Loki know that. I am a soldier and pain is something we've got to get accustomed to."

"If you love Loki, you'd tell him the truth. He's the god of lies, how long to you think it will take him to figure out you're lying to him? And how hurt will he be when he finds out?" Wildr admonished, shaking her head slightly. "You went through a lot, Gemma. Let us help you."

"Gem. My name is Gem," said Gemma softly. She brushed back a tear and looked away. "I don't need help. I just want to go home. I miss my friends."

"I am sure you do, Miss. But just know that I am here, and Loki and Thor too. Any of us would be more than willing to help ease some of the pain you're feeling. You only need to ask."

Gemma nodded silently and in minutes she was already fast asleep once more. Wildr sighed and got to her feet. She wandered towards a window that opened up to the city below. Towers, shining gold in the evening sun cast soft shadows across the city streets. In the distance, the sea glimmered like liquid diamonds, casting reflections of the glowing planets that hung in the sky like fruit, ripe for the picking.

"After all we've been through, and the world is still beautiful."

**Thor**

The hearing took place in the Justice Hall, where Loki had met his sentence not long ago. This time, there were hundreds of seats filled. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to see what was to happen to the two princes of Asgard.

Thor kept a stony expression in his face, hoping to ward off the many eyes that followed his every movement. The citizens watched him with worry in their eyes. They were scared that thief favorite prince would be dealt a hard fine. Nobody, however, seemed to care about Loki's fate, however.

Thor clenched his fists and took his seat next to Loki, who stared straight ahead, looking at no one.

"Do not fret, Brother," Thor said in a low voice.

Loki didn't give any sign he'd heard.

Moments later, Odin cleared his throat and all the mindless blabber ceased as the citizens fell into silence. Thor could almost here the buzz of anticipation in the room. He could almost feel it on his skin like electricity.

"Today we decide upon the punishment for Prince Thor and Prince Loki. Their charges are as follows:" he started, all in a rush as though he was in a hurry to deal out the sentence and then enjoy a supper. "Thor, who is already being punished for the crime of removing Loki's muzzle for one day, has lot his rights to the throne until he proves to be worthy once more. Loki is already being punished for the mutiny he caused here in Asgard, the destruction of the bifrost, the invasion on Midgard and the theft of the Tesseract. He was stripped of his powers and bond to Thor's will until he proved himself worthy and changed.

Thor and Loki broke into the weapons vault here in the palace, stole the Infinity Gauntlet," (a collective gasp from the crowd) "And the Tesseract. They then traveled to the realm of our greatest enemy, Thanos. There, the Tesseract was destroyed, along with Thanos and his entire planet," (a gasp, even louder than before, from the onlookers.)

Thor cast his eyes to the ground. Hearing it like that, he was no longer so sure that he and Loki would get off of this one so easily.

"The punishment in most cases for such a crime is death.,"

Loki flinched at Thor's side.

"However, I believe this is not like most cases," continued Thor. "The princes, _my sons, _saved the nine realms from an even greater enemy, Lady Death. Without them, we would all be dead or worse. I believe that renews the worth of both the convicts. And, Loki has proven to have a heart after all,"

Now every eye was on Loki. Thor could practically feel the heat radiating off of his brother. He was _embarrassed. _

"Loki did all of this for one mortal girl. A girl whom he claims to love."

Now everyone in the crowd was filled with wonder. They turned to each other and whispered excitedly.

"Now, we have two options. The Prince Thor and the Prince Loki face death on one side, and an amendment on the other. With that said, I call this hearing to a vote."

It was Frigga who spoke up first.

"My sons will not be killed for their serve to our community. I suggest a lesser punishment. Perhaps temporary exile? "

Thor clenched his jaw tightly, he could feel his temperature rise considerably. This was his mother speaking! Voting for his exile!

"To Migard," she continued

Then Thor turned his head slightly and caught Frigga's eye. She winked at him and then he understood.

What was waiting for him on Midgard? _Jane. _And for Loki? _Gemma. _

Frigga wasn't voting for their exile, she was giving them what they wanted the most! Freedom.

Loki caught on at the same time as Thor, and a thin smile touched upon his lips; the first sign of interest that Thor had seen all day.

"All in favor?" Odin boomed.

There was a flurry of hands rising. The citizens of Asgard were romantic folk; the touching story of Gemma and Loki's "star-crossed love" greatly appealed to them.

"It has been decided then. Tomorrow, at dawn, Loki, Thor and Gemma will be sent to Midgard until further notice."

The hammer dropped.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Hold Tight"

**Gemma**

"So that's it? They're sending you to earth?" Gemma said slowly.

Loki nodded, his face set in a grim frown.

"But it's not that simple, Gem. Every mortal knows my face. They all know what I did. SHEILD will take things into their own hands," he said. "Thor is lucky. He can join his pretty little team again. I have nothing back on Midgard."

"Loki," Gemma said, her brow furrowed. "You have me. Thor and I, we wont let anyone hurt you. I'll talk to Fury. He'll understand."

Loki nodded and looked at the polished floors.

"They'll send us off in a little under four hours. Are you feeling okay?" Loki murmured.

Gemma started to nod her head, then paused, sighed and shook her head.

"No. No, I'm not," she said. "Everything… Everything feels damaged inside. I feel like… I feel like I'm changed, Loki. I can't keep doing this. I can't go back to SHEILD as a soldier. I'm done with that. All I want is to lie down and sleep for a very long time," she murmured, meeting his eyes.

In a heartbeat, Loki had covered the distance between them in a flurry of green and black. His body met hers with enough force that the two of them gasped slightly and then he was kissing her. They kissed as they had never done before; slowly as if they had all the time in the world and then fast, as though they had only moments.

Gemma felt chills run down her spine as Loki's cool lips traced hers. His strength held her up, held her close. Suddenly, it was as though she had nothing to fear. Gemma knew that he would never let her fall apart. She knew it in the steady feel of his heartbeat. She knew it in the deep galaxy of his eyes and the chilly touch of his fingertips.

"You will be Okay," he breathed.

Gemma pulled back slightly, her arms still wrapped tight around Loki's neck. She opened her mouth to speak. She fully intended to thank him, but the words that slipped from her lips were something else entirely.

"I love you."

O o o

Gemma stood between Thor and Loki, one hand clamped tightly around Loki's and the other around Thor's. Hiemdall and Odin stood before them, preparing the transit between Asgard and Midgard.

"Ready?" Odin said after what felt like ages. "Just hold still and you wont be hurt. This method of travel is risky, and you may feel sick when you get to the other side. But it's the only way. It should start up any second now."

Loki scowled and looked away.

"Farewell, father," Thor muttered, smiling slightly.

"Farewell, my sons. And you too, Gemma," Odin replied.

The "a" in Gemma slurred as a brilliant blue light filled the room, forcing the three to shut their eyes. Then Gemma felt as though she was moving in circles very fast. Faster and faster until suddenly, it stopped. The light faded. When they opened their eyes once more, Thor, Gemma and Loki were standing in red sand, the hot sun beating down on their backs.

"Where are we?" Loki was the first to speak.

"New Mexico," said Thor, at the exact same time as Gemma said, "Home."

**Loki**

"Loki," Gemma said, running to catch up with the dark haired exile.

The three had been wandering through the heat for the longer part of an hour, and only now was it obvious why they'd been dropped of in seemingly the middle of nowhere: SHIELD's new base wasn't far. Even now, they could see the battlements rising from the red sand in the distance.

"I'm not ready to go back," she said.

Loki stopped walking all together and put a hand to her chin, tilting her face up.

"Is there somewhere you'd rather go?" he asked.

Gemma paused. She frowned and bit her lip but after a moment of contemplation she nodded.

"I have something I have to do before I go back to SHEILD, but I'll need your help."

Loki looked at her quizzically until she reached into her pocket and gingerly pulled something small out. What ever it was, it was clutched tightly into her hand, and emitted a pulsing blue light, which shone through the gaps in her fingers.

Thor gave them a suspicious glance, but Loki scowled at him and eventually the older brother shrugged and turned away. Gemma waited until Thor was out of ear shot before she let her hand relax. Slowly, her fingers unfurled, exposing a faceted sapphire jewel in the palm of her hand.

"Is that…?" Loki began.

Gemma bit her lip and nodded. "The Mind Gem. I took it from the Gauntlet before we left."

"Why?" said Loki sternly, his face clouding over.

Gemma's face heated up but she stared up at him with fiery compassion. "Look, I know you think I stole it, but it's not like that! The Gauntlet was only going to be locked away again, it was going to collect dust until some new enemy broke in and stole it!" she said breathlessly. "But I happen to know of a good cause for this little gem. I know someone who needs it."

"And who might that be?" asked Loki, his eyebrows arched high with skepticism. "I have a hard time imagining that anyone at SHEILD would use this power for anything other than their own gain."

"It's not someone from SHEILD." Gemma said. "It's my little brother; Jessie."

A small smile warmed up Loki's face, causing Gemma's heart to skip a beat. She'd almost forgotten how _beautiful _he could be when he smiled.

"Let us go," he said.

O o o

Convincing Thor had been easy. Loki had simply explained that his uninvited presence at the SHEILD HQ would undoubtedly be unwelcome, and therefore it only made sense that Thor go ahead to warn the team of his brother's arrival. That would give Loki and Gemma just enough time to do what they intended; if they worked quickly.

Minutes later, in front of the blue-washed door to the suburban Portland home in which Mark and Carry Shepherd lived, there was a flash of sickly green light and two figures appeared, looking harried and anxious.

"They wont be happy," Gemma warned, as she raised her finger to the doorbell. Her face was very pale.

Loki gave her a sympathetic smile and said, "Who cares what they think, Gem."

She grinned slightly and pushed the button, feeling slightly sick at the thought of coming face to face once more with her family. But in her mind's eye, sweet innocent Jessie peered at her with tears on his face. He needed her.

A moment later, the door swung open and Carry stood in the entrance way, beaming.

"Mary, I am so gla-" her voice stopped short when she saw who stood at the door.

Gemma grimaced and nodded her head stiffly. "Good evening, Carry." she said.

"G-Gemma," stammered the woman, her face ashen.

"May I come in?" Gemma asked.

Carry stared at her daughter blankly, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water before she shook her head and shuffled backwards into the house, slowing inching the door closed.

"I am afraid that right now is not the best time… No, no not at all. Terribly sorry, yes, quite!" she rambled, her eyes wide with fear.

Gemma sighed and prepared to use her mind control to do the dirty work, when a shadow fell across her face. Loki had emerged from behind the wall, glaring darkly at the woman.

Carry's face paled with recognition.

"I know you!" she cried, her voice was raspy with dread. "You're him! You're the one who came to us that night! You are a _murderer!" _

Gemma grinned mischievously and stepped aside. "Mother, meet Loki. My _boyfriend." _

After that, it was a piece of cake getting into the house. Carry simply mumbled incoherently and started dumbstruck as the odd pair pushed their way indoors.

"Mom?" inquired a deep voice.

Gemma frowned as a tall curly headed young man poked his head around the corner. His deep hazel eyes mirrored Gemma's own curious ones.

"Hello," she said cautiously.

"Gemma?" he asked, frowning.

Gemma nodded unsurely, her fists clenched tight. There was a pit in the center of her stomach that felt like a led ball.

The boy's face split into a wide grin and he rushed forward, pulling her into a tight hug.

"I never believed you'd died!" he cried, beaming.

"Jessie?" Gemma asked, her voice breaking.

The boy nodded, pulling back to get a better look at his sister.

"Oh god, Gemma! What happened to you?" he asked.

"What…" was all Gemma could manage.

"You've been gone for years! They all said you must have died!"

"…Years…" mumbled Gemma weakly. "What? How old?"

"I've just turned twenty," Jessie boasted proudly.

"No." Gemma said defiantly. "You were just a kid when I saw you last! You can't be! You cannot be older than me! I'm your big sister!"

Loki came up from behind her, slipping a slim hand around her waist.

"Time is different between the Realms. I should have known this would happen. I am so very sorry," Loki murmured.

Jessie seemed to notice the dark haired prince for the first time. The smile disappeared from his face, replaced by a mixture of loathing and fear.

"You, you're the-"

"Jessie, this is Loki. He is different now. He saved my life. You can trust him," Gemma said, regaining a bit of her vigor from Loki's touch.

"What's happened? You still live here? You have to tell me everything!" she continued, once Jessie's face had relaxed slightly.

Jessie threw Loki one last uneasy look before sighing and nodding.

"I wanted to move out, but it's been hard. Dad left Mom for a bimbo three years ago. She's been in a mess ever since, she needed me. We didn't have the money for college besides."

"Jessie! But that's not your problem! And you were such a smart boy, I bet you could have made any scholarship!" Gemma protested.

Jessie shook his head, his brown curls bouncing. "Nah. I never wanted to go to school. I just wanted to be like you, Gem. I wanted to join SHEILD. Fight bad guys. You know?"

Gemma nodded, her eyes still wide with disbelief.

"We can talk more about that later though. Tell me; why are you here?" Jessie asked, perplexed.

Gemma swallowed and dig in her pocket for the Mind Gem. She rested it lightly in the center of her hand, holding it out for her brother.

"Last time we met, you asked me to teach you how to read minds, do the kind of stuff I can do…" she said.

Jessie nodded. "I've always wished…" he trailed off. "But what is that?" he nodded towards the stone that shone in her hand.

"This is called the Mind Gem. It's a long story," she said. "I want you to have it. You'll be able to do it all. All the same stuff I can do." she explained.

Awestruck, Jessie plucked the jewel from her hand, bringing it close to his face so that the blue light illuminated his form, creating a blue halo around his curls.

"I can hear you think," he murmured, his eyes shining with amazement.

After a moment of silence, Gemma turned to Loki, her eyes shining with tears. " I think we should go now," she choked.

Loki took her hand and turned to look at Jessie.

The young man stared at the pair, his hands still wrapped tight around the gift, beaming.

"Were are you going?" he asked, sounding suddenly desperate.

"It's time I returned to SHEILD." Gemma said softly. "Loki us going to use his magic to take us there."

Jessie nodded silently, his eyes glistening with tears.

"But I only just saw you!" he said, his voice edging on a whine.

"I am sorry," Gemma began, but then she shook her head as if to clear it. "You can come with us, if you'd like."

Jessie's face split into a grin a mile wide.

"I'd love nothing more!"

**Jessie**

Jessie had never packed up so quickly in all his life. He didn't own much, but nonetheless, he was packed and ready to go in only a few short minutes.

Loki and Gemma were still waiting for him when he returned, but he only handed off his bag to Loki, who took it grudgingly before taking off again, leaving his sister staring at him with an open mouth.

"Mom?" he said, a moment later when he'd found Carry, staring listlessly out a window.

She said nothing. "Mom, I am leaving. I'm going to SHIELD." he explained breathlessly.

There was no response.

"Mom, Mary will be here in a few minutes to take care of you." He said softly. "I… I'll see you again."

With that, Jessie stooped down and planted a quick kiss on his mother's cheek. He didn't know why he felt bad leaving the woman, she had never been the loving mother he'd always needed, but it somehow felt _wrong, _leaving her there, as helpless and broken as she was.

"I love you!" he called over his shoulder as he rushed away, towards SHEILD and the beginning of his life.

"Are you ready?" Gemma said, when he'd returned a moment later.

Jessie grinned and took her hand with one of his own, the other still clutching the gem.

"I am."

**AN: after this there is only one more chapter! :( **

**Thank you all for everything. I am sorry I have been so bad at updating, I've just had a lot on my mind lately, with school starting and my best friend moving. Anyways, I'll try to get the last chapter out soon. Thanks' for understanding, and if you don't, well, whatever. **


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

To Hell Again and Back

**Last chapter! (There may be an epilogue later too?)**

**Gemma**

With the customary flash of green light Gemma, Jessie and Loki found themselves standing outside a tall steel wall, topped with barbed wire and guarded by dozens of soldiers in shiny black uniforms.

The moment the three appeared from seemingly thin air, shots rang out as the startled soldiers fired their guns. Loki only had just enough time to install an invisible barricade around himself and his companions that protected them from the hail of flesh-tearing rounds.

"CEASE FIRE! CEASE FIRE!" a familiar voice bellowed.

Gemma felt her heart rate increase rapidly. She knew that voice, she'd know it anywhere.

"Fury!" she cried out, forgetting about Jessie and Loki in her eagerness, she took off running full speed towards the only man she could ever look up to as family.

Nick Fury's hair was mostly grey now, but he looked otherwise virtually unchanged. Gemma noticed a limp but marked it off as a battle injury.

With a thud, she crashed into him, burying her face in his chest. Silently, tears washed her cheeks clean.

"Gemma! Thor said you were coming. He's explained everything." Fury said, cradling her head.

"I'm just glad to be home."

"'Cuse me, Sir," Jessie said, extending a hand. "Nice to see you again, Sir. It's me, Jessie, Sir."

Fury smiled and shook the young man's hand with vigor. "I was wondering when I'd see you again, boy! You've shaped up quite nicely, I must say. Ever thought about joining SHIELD?"

"Hate to interrupt this reunion, but would you mind calling off your men?" a snide voice said from behind Gemma.

Fury's eyes snapped to Loki, who was looking peeved at the guns that were still raised to his face.

"Loki," Fury started, limping towards him with a scowl. "Many of these men lost loved ones at your hands. They are not keen to let you walk free."

Loki gave what he hoped to be a sympathetic smile, but came off as simpering. The soldiers shifted uneasily, their fingers still on the triggers.

"Fury…" Gemma said, reaching out and taking Loki's hand with her own. "You've got to give him a chance."

Fury looked back at her. "I expect that I don't have much choice, do I?" he said. "You'll bend me to your will either way, yeah?"

Gemma nodded.

"Alright then. Men! Get back to your posts," he sighed.

O o o

Entering the head quarters was like stepping back in time for Gemma. She was overcome with a sudden wave of nostalgia and suddenly, she had a very keen idea of what things had been like for Steve when he'd woken up after all that time and seen his world so changed.

They had entered the room where the team was currently eating their dinner and chatting playfully, unaware that Gemma, Loki and Jessie were in their midst. Suddenly, one of them looked up. This woman was new; Gemma had never seen her before. She was beautiful in a way that could never be touched by age, and yet a great sorrow hung on her features.

"Where is he?" the woman said, her eyes locked on Loki's with a hateful passion.

Silence fell as the others noticed the three people, standing awkwardly by Fury's side.

"WHERE IS HE?" the woman cried out, getting to her feet.

"Who is she?" Gemma whispered to Loki, her eyes never leaving the woman's face.

"Her name," he explained. "Is Jane. She loved my brother and I destroyed their only chance to be together. This is the woman who hates me more than anyone else in the world."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, you sick bastard. What do you think you're doing here?"

Tony Stark was standing in front of Loki, his hands balled into fists, he looked expectantly at Fury, as if waiting for the command to beat the living crap out of the exiled Norse god.

Loki bowed his head, seemingly ashamed.

"Lay off, Stark," Gemma said threateningly.

"Gemma!" Tony said, his eyebrows jumping up into his peppery hair with surprise as he noticed her for the first time.

"It's Gem."

There was a moment of hesitation and then they embraced, Tony letting out a cheer to the others.

"It's Gem! She's back!"

"Someone tell me: where is Thor? Is he alright?" Jane said, her voice ringing out clear over the din.

"My brother is well," Loki said, his voice cutting through the air like ice. "But ask me not where he is, for I know it not. Look towards Fury if you wish to know the answer, he spoke to my brother last."

Now everyone was staring.

All at once, the crowd erupted into noise. Shouting and questioning and cheering (aimed at Gemma) and screaming insults (aimed at Loki).

"Shut up!" yelled Fury, but in vain, the team couldn't even hear him over the sound they were making. "GOD DAMMIT! EVERYONE, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" he screamed, the veins in his neck bulging.

All commotion ceased at once.

"That's better," Fury said. "Now will you all please shut up while I explain things?" he looked around the room threateningly before nodding and resuming. "As you all have noticed, our own Gemma Shepherd has returned to us. She brought along her brother, Jessie, who is our newest recruit… You may cheer for that."

Once the noise has died back down, Fury began again. "And then there's Loki."

Tony spat on the ground.

"Stark!" bellowed Fury, outraged. "You will try your damn hardest to be _nice_ to Loki. He has sworn his allegiance to SHEILD and proven himself more than once over of being more compassionate than you'd ever imagine."

Loki scowled.

"If it wasn't for Loki, Gemma would be dead. In fact, this whole world would have ceased to exist. He's saved us all, as much as I hate to admit."

"Why would he do that?" Natasha asked, breaking the silence.

"Perhaps," Loki began. "I only wanted to wipe the red from my ledger, Romanoff."

Fury shook his head. "We will have none of that tonight, Loki. From here on out, you will only speak the truth. Are we clear?"

Loki sneered at the man but he didn't argue.

"Loki did it out of love. He did it out of love for one person. Someone you'd least expect." Fury said.

"He did it for me," Gemma spoke up, her voice was stronger than she'd expected. "And I'd trust him with my life. If you want me, you've got to accept him too."

Loki's hand found Gemma's and clasped it tight.

There was a scattered mumbling across the room and many dark glances, but for the most part, it seemed none of the Avengers were going to argue.

"Exactly what happened to you, Gem?" a voice rang out, clean and sure. Surprising, coming from Bruce Banner.

Gemma smiled at him. "You sound well, Bruce."

"A lot has changed since you've been gone." He replied.

Gemma nodded, suddenly aware that she was fighting back tears.

"I know…. But that story is not for now," she said, her voice draining to almost a whisper. Loki squeezed her hand and Jessie gripped her shoulder comfortingly.

"I'd say that's enough for now. We will speak more of this in the morning. Let us eat!" Fury said, grinning.

"Wait!" Jane's voice rang out once more. "Please! You said Thor was here. May I speak to him?"

"I am here, Jane," Thor's voice cut in as the golden-haired man stepped into the room, his eyes gleaming with a smile.

The crowd cheered as the two embraced, even Steve joined in, though his face had been grim the entire time. Gemma knew why. He was thinking about his own fate, how the tables hadn't turned just right. Not for him.

"You okay?" Gemma asked, some time later when she had taken a seat by the blonde haired soldier.

"Fantastic! Never been better. I'm glad to see you, Gem," he replied, smiling brightly, though it looked forced.

Gemma smiled sympathetically and patted his shoulder. "I am sorry, Steve. But I understand how you feel now… My little brother is older than me. If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm here."

Steve looked genuinely pleased then. He took her hand and helped her to her feet, grinning. "Come on then, why don't you enjoy the party. It is yours, after all!"

Gemma nodded, her eyes landing on Loki, who stood next to Thor. He was scowling at the floor, but Gemma had come to know him better than ever.

_How are you, Loki? _She asked.

From across the room his eyes met hers like magnets. _Not bad, Gem. Not bad. _

The rest of the night was a blur of hugging, drinking and story sharing. Gemma was lost in the arms of her old friends. All but one.

Clint was out in a mission, it was unlikely he would return until the morning. Gemma felt her heart sink at the news. Of all the people she wanted to see, Clint was the one she'd missed the most.

"He'll be so glad to see you," Natasha said quietly. She had crept up behind Gemma where she sat, staring at a fork on the table before her. All around them were the rest of the team, still celebrating her return, getting acquainted with Jessie and joking with one another.

Gemma caught sight of a glint of silver on Natasha's hand as the woman ran her fingers through her hair.

"Is that?..." Gemma said excitedly, grabbing Natasha's hands in her own. "IT IS! OH MY GOD!"

"Yes, Gem?" Loki said, grinning. He'd just crept up silent as a cat to join the pair.

"Shut up, Loki!" Gemma said, playfully socking him in the arm. "Natasha is _married! _It is Clint, isn't it?" she asked, her face glowing with excitement.

Natasha actually giggled then, her entire face lighting up. "Five years next week!" she said, grinning.

After that, the party picked up. Soon everyone was drunk, even Gemma was a little tipsy, and she wasn't much one for drinking. Of course, no one held a candle to Tony, (and if they did, the entire place would have gone up in flames, he was so drenched).

The sun was already rising by the time Gemma told a slurring Tony Stark that she didn't actually care to see any more pictures of the new and improved Stark tower. She was about ready to pass out when Fury handed her a key and told her she could take any empty bedroom for her own.

"I expect you'll be wanting a room for two?" he asked, gruffly, his eyes on Loki.

Gemma blushed and nodded.

"Go on, then. You need to sleep. Clint will be here by lunch time tomorrow."

Fifteen minutes later, Gemma and Loki lay curled together on a single bed, fast asleep. Loki, who hadn't drank much had stripped down into the uniform nightwear provided by SHEILD. Gemma, however had barley managed to take off her boots and jacket before she'd passed clean out on top of the sheets.

**Loki**

"Let's go!" Gemma was saying from the ground, where she sat pulling her boots onto her feet.

Loki anxiously looked on. It wouldn't take an expert to know that something was wrong.

"Gem, I don't think I should be there when you see him," he began.

Gemma got to her feet, frowning. "I don't… Look. Fury has already explained the situation. I'm sure he will be on his best behavior. That is, if _you _are."

Loki grimaced. He was dreading coming face to face with Clint Barton once again. It was the archer who hated him most of all, and for good cause, too.

"Besides; I bet that once he gets to know you, you'll become friends." Gemma reasoned.

Loki possibly knew Barton better than himself, a side effect of mind control. He knew there was zero chance of ever befriending the man. It was more likely that he'd end up with an arrow in his eye. That is, if _he _didn't hex Barton first.

All the same, some five minutes later found Loki and Gemma walking hand in hand into the dining hall where the rest of the Avengers already sat, each nursing their own hang over and looking spent. Tony was leaning against Steve's side, obviously telling a joke because the rest of the team started laughing. But Gemma and Loki only had eyes for one man.

Clint Barton was sitting casually between Natasha and Bruce, frowning at his half-eaten sandwich and seemingly lost in thought. Banner nudged him slightly when he noticed Gemma and Loki come in, and the archer suddenly snapped into awareness, his eyes landing at once on Gemma's flushed face.

"Gem?" he asked, as if in a trance.

Gemma felt tears welling up in her eyes. She hadn't realized exactly how much she missed her best friend until then.

"Oh god!" Clint cried, getting to his feet and rushing towards her. "You look exactly the same!"

"Wish I could say the same for you, Clint. Is that a grey hair?" Gemma joked, tears spilling from her hazel eyes.

Loki scowled and shuffled away, hoping to minimize his contact with Barton. He found company, surprisingly, in Jessie.

"What's she like?" Jessie asked, looking dreamily off at Gemma, who was joking loudly with Clint across the room some time later.

"Gem?" Loki said, drawing out her name.

Jessie nodded rubbing his finger over the glowing blue stone in his pocket. "I feel like you know my sister better than I do…"

Loki shifted closer to Jessie, a hazy smile playing on his lips.

"Well… She's incredible, but that doesn't even begin to describe it…"

From across the room, Barton and Loki made eye contact. Loki felt his body stiffen with anticipation. Then, slowly, Barton nodded once.

O o o

That night Loki and Gemma retired early. The day had been relatively laid back, with Gemma attending training with the rest of the soldiers, eager to resume her old routine. Loki and stuck by Thor's side, acting sullen all the while, though he wouldn't admit that he was actually enjoying himself.

"How was it?" Gemma asked, once they were alone.

Loki allowed himself a small smile as he came forward and claimed her mouth in a kiss.

"I think this could work," he crooned, slipping an icy hand up her shirt.

Gemma's breath caught at the unexpected chill.

"What? Living here, with SHEILD? Or _this," _she tangled her fingers in his ink-blot hair, leaving a trail of kisses down his bobbing neck.

"Both," Loki said, gritting his teeth in pleasure as he slowly pushed her down against the bed. "Have I ever told you why they call me Silvertongue?"

o o o

The night sky was filled with stars, stars that Loki had never seen before. He and Gemma lay on their backs on the roof of one of the soldier's barracks, enjoying the cool night breeze from the east.

"One time you showed me your stars. Let me show you mine," Gemma whispered, gesturing to they sky.

Loki's hand found hers in the dark.

"Show me."

The hours were spent with Gemma's hand in the air, pointing out her favorite constellations, her lips working as she told Loki each story to accompany every star. He drank up every word, his eyes only leaving her face to gaze up at the sky.

"Orion's Belt," she murmured, her eyes reflecting the stars she was pointing at.

"I love you," Loki said suddenly, breaking her train of thought.

"What?" Gemma sputtered, rolling over on her side to face him.

"I love you," Loki repeated, smiling at the look of surprise on her face.

Without hesitation, Gemma kissed him lightly, wrapping her arms around him tight. It was there, under the stars that they fell asleep, so thickly intertwined with one another that in the gathering dark, that it was almost impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.

Galaxies away, a new constellation, one that would someday be named "Sleeping Lovers", blinked into life, searing it's light into the darkness.

**Ok ok so ahhh! I'm gonna go scream now. I hate endings! I hate hate hate writing endings! Omg. I really don't have anything to say. Thanks. I might write and epilogue for this at some point, but I'm not sure. Maybe I'll write a story following Jessie some day. OK. Ok. Ok. **


End file.
